


Settle For Less

by Yacer_Sho



Series: From the Stars - A Hat in Time [3]
Category: A Hat in Time (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Reality, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Assassination Attempt(s), Assassination Plot(s), Backstory, Canon-Typical Violence, Families of Choice, Feel-good, Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, M/M, Parent Snatcher (A Hat in Time), Past Child Abuse, Plot Twists, Post-good ending, Reality Bending, Resurrection, Returning Home, Revenge, Sequel, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:35:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 52,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23980177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yacer_Sho/pseuds/Yacer_Sho
Summary: Much against Snatcher's wishes, Hat Kid does the unthinkable and manages to bring her father back from the dead with the help of her Time Pieces. Confused, scared, and lost, King Xander of Sehan will try to win back his home from his deranged and exiled wife through determination. Hat Kid and her friends will be there every step of the way.
Relationships: Bow Kid & Hat Kid & Mustache Girl (A Hat in Time), Bow Kid & Snatcher (A Hat in Time), Hat Kid & Snatcher (A Hat in Time), Snatcher (A Hat in Time) & Original Character(s), Snatcher (A Hat in Time)/Original Character(s), The Conductor & DJ Grooves (A Hat in Time)
Series: From the Stars - A Hat in Time [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1547056
Comments: 24
Kudos: 88





	1. Shards of the Stars

**Author's Note:**

> {This story is continued from the ending of the Sneak Peak titled "He's Still Here" with some added dialogue and sentences.}
> 
> Updates: Every Thursday
> 
> Thank you for your continued support and love for this series!

Opening the vault, Hat Kid watched the Time Pieces flicker and glow, almost as if it was beckoning her to do what he hated most. Picking one out of the pile that she liked the very best, she watched the slightly heavy hourglass shine and sparkle.

Letting go of the past wasn't easy, especially not for a young girl such as herself. Hat Kid wanted to get better, she really did, but she hated everything in her life that was associated with who she used to be.

 _Princess_ _Seraphina of Sehan._

Her mother was the cause of all her pain, but not her father. Her father treated her like a person, rather than an ignorant little girl. The realization hit her almost immediately; Ophelia was still all alone on Sehan without anybody to keep her company.

Her mother lost her power when she was defeated, leaving Sehan as nothing more than an abandoned wasteland with dilapidated buildings and homes that were once bustling with life. Maybe if Hat Kid had never returned to Sehan, her mother would be fairly normal despite living in an illusion. 

_Good riddance, then. No one would miss a stuck up peck-neck, anyway._ Hat Kid thought, shaking away any and all scenarios where her mother was isolated in her own castle.

It wouldn't hurt to try to resurrect her father... right?

All Hat Kid needed to do was destroy the Time Piece while thinking about her father's image. The Xander from the past will become the Xander of the present, so nothing bad should happen... unless it breaks the space-time continuum.

Her blue eyes narrowed and she clenched her teeth together as her grip on the Time Piece tightened. Closing her eyes, she imagined her father as best as she could manage, but she knew there were so details regarding his appearance missing. The dream she had could only do so much to make her remember.

With a heavy heart, she smashed the Time Piece to the ground and felt time slow to a grinding halt all around her. The shards of broken glass had all but disappeared, and the light source which was once contained inside the hourglass became a blinding white light. Hiding her eyes, Hat Kid tried her best to withstand the full force of time itself. 

"This has to work," Hat Kid whispers as her hair flows, "Please, bring my father back to me."

The blinding light begins to swirl at Hat Kid's command, and in a miraculous display, shoots off a smoke-like effect and the light all but disappears. Hat Kid rubs her eyes and inspects the smoky spaceship, and mentally curses when she realizes she can't see two feet in front of her. 

Then suddenly, someone, a man, begins to cough as the smoke clears. Hat Kid's head snaps in the direction of where the voice was coming from with a hopeful look on her face. She couldn't cry, she wasn't going to cry. Hat Kid was going to show her father how strong she became without him in her life!

"W-Who's there? Where am I and what is this place?" His low gravelly voice echoing in the spaceship.

A man with slicked back blonde hair and green eyes emerges from the smoke, her _father,_ back from the dead, much to Hat Kid's shock. After all, he looked exactly the same as the day he died! It seemed almost too good to be true.

Snatcher was right, it worked!

"...Father? It's me, Hat K- Seraphina. I brought you back to life using a Time Piece!" Hat Kid proudly said as the smoke finally got released into space through the vents. 

Her father looked around in a perplexed manner and took a few steps around the spaceship. "Yes, yes, I can see that. Your ship has certainly... changed, hasn't it?"

"Yeah! Do you like it? I designed everything myself." Hat Kid followed close behind and made sure to hold his hand in excitement over the fact that, well, something as crazy as bringing someone back to life actually _worked,_ and that he was safe with her.

Her father blinked worriedly and looked down at his daughter with a hint of anxiety. Tried as he might, he couldn't take his eyes off the planet that housed Mafia Town, Dead Bird Studio, the Subcon Forest, and Alpine Skyline. It was almost like he recognized it; but that was ridiculous. He's been dead for a few years now, so he must have no idea where he is.

"S-Seraphina, sweetheart..." King Xander started, and Hat Kid nodded, "Where is your mother? And... why did you bring me back?"

Hat's lips partially opened in order to speak, but no amount of fearlessness could have prepared her for answering such an important question. After all, she couldn't just lie straight to his face. "Um..."

Her father was alive; wasn't that enough for him? Why would Hat Kid need to give him a valid reason for bringing him back?

"Seraphina, please. Answer me, my dear." He kneeled down to her height while still holding onto her warm, tiny hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I need you to tell me why you brought me back. And why isn't that planet Sehan?"

Hat Kid could tell that her father was being completely serious, as his stern voice was the only thing keeping his daughter from lying right on the spot.

Simply stating, "I missed you and wanted to bring you back to life." was an ineffable answer to such an important question, so Hat Kid stared down at her carpeted floor of the ship.

"I need your help, father. Mother became an evil tyrant who thinks she can do whatever she wants just because she's still a queen. There's so many things you don't know about, but I can't tell you everything right now. It would be too sad." Hat Kid strained herself to say, and needless to say, her father definitely noticed the gauze bandages wrapped around her neck from last night.

Using his other hand, her father moved some brown hair out of the way and caressed the gauze carefully as to not cause any pain to his daughter. Despite being as gentle as possible, Hat Kid still winced involuntarily, especially since they still stung a bit if you pressed down too hard. 

"Did she do this to you? Is that why you're unable to produce any sentences for too long? What a terrible father I was... to leave you all alone with that witch. You don't have to tell me everything right now. Not yet. The stress of learning what happened to my home and you are too much for me to bear. For now, let's just enjoy ourselves for n-"

"Hey kiddo! Your BFF is back from collecting the souls of the innocent! Why don't you be a dear and come greet your poor, lonely companion?" Snatcher called out of nowhere, presumably from her bedroom where he always stays. 

Hat Kid's father winced as the booming voice of Snatcher resonated in the walls, especially since this shadowy figure was capable of being extremely loud when he wanted to be in order to scare his friend. 

Protecting his daughter, King Xander hid Hat Kid behind him and pulled out a dagger which was being kept in his coat pocket. The dagger wasn't incredibly interesting, but what truly stood out to Hat Kid was a Time Piece carved out of wood for the pommel. Unsheathing the dagger and gripping it tight, King Xander began silently walking towards the source of the voice; his daughter's bedroom.

In an instant, Hat Kid's big blue eyes widened in surprise as her father gritted his teeth together, and watched the door open. His eyes wandered towards the towering purple ghost, who was currently holding a book in one hand and brandishing a pumpkin smile on what used to be his face. King Xander backed away in fear and hid his daughter once more as soon as Snatcher turned around when he heard the door open.

King Xander puts away the dagger since he knew for a fact that a creature such as that is invincible. If he even dared to attack the ghost, the dagger would most likely go right through his body and cause him no harm whatsoever. Even worse, Xander would make that _thing_ angry. He wasn't about to put his daughter in harms way, so all he could do was hide for now while his daughter watched on.

"...Kiddo? I'm not going to play hide and seek with you, young lady. Come on out... or I'll make you." He threatened, his voice nothing more than a whisper. 

"Who in the world is that? Why is a... a ghost in your spaceship, Seraphina?" Staring at his daughter and squeezing her shoulders, his green eyes narrow slightly, "He's not dangerous, is he?" 

Smiling, Hat Kid shakes her head nonchalantly and walks towards her door again, prompting the motion detector to trigger. Beginning to walk down the hallway, she turns her head and motions with her hand for her father to follow. 

Hesitantly at first, Xander begins to silently follow his daughter and tries to avoid eye contact with the ghost. His brows furrow as his daughter comes closer and closer to her "BFF", at least that's what the ghost claimed, and his worst fear comes to life. 

In almost an instant, Seraphina's tiny body is grabbed by the ghost, his mocking laughter once again echoing in the bowels of the ship. Stopping dead in his tracks, Xander's hand shoots out to grab his daughter's leg as she's lifted up into his arms, the book belonging to the ghost already discarded long ago. 

The automatic door closes and Xander is stuck in the hallway connecting the main bay and the bedroom, but he would much rather stay in here rather than go out there with a ghost that looks to be twice the size of him.

Hat Kid begins to giggle and kick her legs as she continues to be risen higher and higher into the air, but Snatcher doesn't let her go. Holding her tight, Snatcher begins to twirl around and laughs with her, unbeknownst to that fact that Hat Kid disobeyed his wishes and resurrected her father using the power of the Time Pieces. 

"There you are, you sniveling little troublemaker! I was wondering where you were... At first I thought you weren't even on your spaceship. Glad to see you, by the way. How are your wounds? They don't hurt too bad?"

Hat Kid shakes her head and replies, "Nope! Cooking Cat made sure to wrap them as carefully as possible, Snatcher. They aren't painful at all-"

The automatic door opened and Xander hid as best as he could further into the hallway, but he wasn't quick enough. He and "Snatcher" managed to lock eyes for a moment before he disappeared out of sight.

Placing her back down onto the carpet below, Snatcher noticed something moving near the doorway, a humanoid figure, and his smile quickly turns into a suspicious frown.

"Hey, kiddo, you don't happen to have any visitors on your ship, do you?" Snatcher hunched his shoulders and puffed out his mane in an attempt to ready himself in case he needed to attack whoever, or whatever, managed to get onto Hat Kid's ship.

And then, there was Hat Kid, who didn't have the guts to tell her BFF that she broke their promise and resurrected her father. But if she could potentially give a good reason as to why, then maybe Snatcher won't be _too_ angry with her. Or disappointed, if he'll listen to reason.

"What?" She dragged out, then innocently clasped her hands together, "Pfft, no! Of course I don't! Are you seeing things that aren't there, Snatcher?"

Snatcher doesn't move, he doesn't even make a snarky remark. All he can do for now is stare at the door and ready himself for a fight if necessary to get rid of whatever pest is harboring themselves on his BFF's spaceship.

* * *

Meanwhile, Xander broke into a sweat and tried his hardest not to trigger the door mechanism. One wrong move and that _thing_ will attack him or worse, injure Seraphina in the process. It was a horrible, stupid idea... but he had to protect his pride and joy.

Silently and carefully, Xander unsheathes his dagger in a fatal attempt to protect himself if necessary. With a heavy heart and a steady mind, Xander begins to run towards the door at full speed and watches it open for him. He could do this; he can grab his daughter and run. He _had_ to do this.

The purple ghost see's Xander, and for a moment, he's shocked that whoever this human is, his blonde hair and green eyes seemed oddly familiar. Unfortunately for Snatcher, he didn't have time to react, and was surprised to have a dagger slice through the lower part of his ghostly figure. 

It obviously didn't hurt, especially since the dagger went right through his "body" and out without any damage whatsoever, but the fact that this human actually _tried_ to attack a _ghost_ was proof enough that he wanted to cause harm to him and Hat Kid. 

He and Snatcher lock eyes, but just for a moment, when his attention turns to Seraphina. 

"Oho! Don't you dare think you can attack me and get away with it!" Snatcher boomed. "Or are you too scared? Huh? I'm invincible and you know that." 

His one and only daughter, his pride and joy, continued to watch as he sneered towards the ghost. Gripping his dagger tighter, he grabbed his daughter, and put the dagger against her bandaged throat.

"F-Father, what are you-" Hat Kid tried to ask, but the dagger was pressed up against her neck with more force this time. Snatcher narrowed his eyes and stared down at Hat Kid, then looked back up at the man, who he recognized now. 

"Quiet, Seraphina." Xander snapped, then licked his lips nervously. 

Snatcher _knew_ Hat Kid would try to bring her father back, but he had no idea that his first instinct would be to threaten his own daughter. 

Hat Kid bit her lip and mouthed a, "Sorry..." Snatcher's way, almost like this was a common occurrence. After the whole fiasco with Ophelia, Snatcher didn't want anything to do with Hat Kid's parents, but unfortunately it seems like now he'll have to compete with her father as his roll of Father Figure.

"So," Snatcher grinned, his eyes trained on King Xander, "You must be Hat Kid's father, right? Of course you are. I'm sure you would love to hear about what happened to Sehan and your wife, wouldn't you? I think I'll let your daughter tell you what happened. Go on, kiddo."

Hat Kid sighs and began to speak.


	2. Broken Promise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Snatcher knows Hat Kid resurrected King Xander, he takes it upon himself to scold Hat Kid for breaking their promise, which her father finds envy in. But they obviously aren't jealous of one another! ...Okay, maybe a little bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick question: Should I make Snatcher's dialogue text bolded so that you can know when he begins speaking or are the context clues good enough?  
> Thanks in advance, everyone!

"Honestly, young lady, had I known you were that quick to resurrect your father, I honestly wouldn't have told you that the Time Pieces had that kind of power." Snatcher sighed, whilst Hat Kid was sitting on the edge of her bed.

Her head was down in shame while she was being scolded, and her giant top hat was practically falling off her head as she moped. One wrong move and the poor thing would fall to the floor with a thud, and Hat Kid would need to pick it up, risking her chances of just sitting through whatever Snatcher had to say. Unfortunately for her, Snatcher was downright disappointed in the young girl for breaking their promise, and now he wondered if he needed to make Hat Kid sign contracts whenever she made promises now so that she wouldn't break them in the future.

"...And what's even worse is that your father has to live with the horrible fact that your mother was abandoned on Sehan after that whole fiasco with the Time Pieces! I mean, kiddo, Sehan isn't your home anymore. Your father should have been at rest... He's in a universe where he shouldn't exist. I expected _better_ of you." 

Hat Kid flinched as Snatcher spoke, and she twiddled her little fingers together to take her mind off his yelling. It's a good thing her father was helping Cooking Cat with dinner, otherwise he'd be arguing with the dangerous spirit, and that was the last thing she wanted. Hearing her two favorite parental figures yell at each other was the last thing she wanted, and she's glad she and Bow Kid just have to deal with the Empress whenever they visited Nyakuza Metro.

It's been quite a long time since Hat Kid had been scolded like this, where she hung her head in shame and her bottom lip quivered in fear. Hat Kid was almost on the brink of crying if he rose his voice any louder, which was most likely being strained as Snatcher's voice was practically shaking as he spoke. Without really meaning to, Hat Kid locked eyes with his ghostly tail, which was currently flicking back and forth from his excitement.

Promptly bringing her head back down, Hat Kid held back a smug smile and tried to keep her composure, but the fact that his tail was moving without him noticing was a little funny, to say the least.

Why couldn't he see that she was sorry? She was only a child; a desperate child hoping to bring her dearly departed father back to life through... questionable means, but her father was still grateful that she cared enough to bring him back, nonetheless. In fact, he was almost relieved to be alive again, especially since he died at such a ripe young age.

But she broke Snatcher's promise, and now she was paying the price for it. Hat Kid had to tell her father everything that happened with her mother; the abuse she endured when her mother succumbed to her mental illness, the war between the Moon Colony and Sehan, and the fight between Hat Kid and her friends. Hat Kid had to tell her poor father that she and the others left Ophelia to die on a post-apocalyptic kingdom where she was destined to forever be alone, scared, and lost without any remorse.

Xander's wife, the love of his life, was exposed for what she truly was; a manipulative, selfish, greedy, and aggressive witch that tore entire cities down in her wake just to get what she wanted. The death of her husband tore their family apart and she became a genocidal dictator using the power of what little Time Piece power she had left to fabricate an entire doting kingdom just to fuel her sick desires as queen.

As Snatcher said once before; Queen Ophelia and Queen Vanessa would have been best friends if they ever met each other or they might have killed one another to prove that they were even worse than the other. Either way, both Snatcher and Hat Kid thought Ophelia and Vanessa were crazy in their own right.

With a careful gaze and a quick swallow, Hat Kid musters up the courage to interrupt Snatcher's rants with a quiet, "I'm sorry..." to make him stop talking. Snatcher's sentence trails off and he almost looks surprised that Hat Kid had the guts to apologize right now. She should be begging him to accept her forgiveness right now, but instead, he almost chuckled when he realized all she could say was a measly, "I'm sorry." after she interrupted his ramblings.

Fortunately for Hat Kid, Snatcher hesitated for a moment, as if he was trying to process what he was even talking about in the first place. Something about how he expected better of her, he figured, but he dropped the topic altogether once he realized Hat Kid was truly sorry by her expression. 

"I'm not mad, okay, kid? I'm just... severely disappointed. Next time, make sure you tell me before you do something rash like this again... Or else." Snatcher said intimidatingly.

Hat Kid challenged him by sweetly tilting her head to the side and crossing her arms. She could tell he was being a total tsundere right now. "Or else, what?"

Snatcher didn't move. He still sported that dangerous Jack-o-Lantern grin, and his glowing yellow eyes were practically staring right into her soul. "Or else I will make your father suf-"

Before he could complete his menacing sentence, the bedroom door opened.

Snatcher and Hat Kid's attention were drawn to the door, and the two of them put on fake smiles despite the fact that Hat Kid looked like she just got done sobbing, and Snatcher... well, he looked like Snatcher; menacingly evil to the point where he wouldn't hesitate to pretend he was nice when he wasn't.

Cooking Cat and Xander stepped into the room carrying three plates of food; one for Hat Kid, one for Xander, and one for Cooking Cat.

Snatcher didn't mind that he didn't get a plate, especially since he can't eat anyway, but he would of liked it if they included him. Looking off to the side, Snatcher ignored Xander and Cooking Cat and floated back to his usual spot near Hat Kid's pool of pillows.

He grabbed his book, and with a snap of a finger, his candles appeared beside him with their flames dancing about. By now, he was completely ignoring Hat Kid's confused expression, but he couldn't find it in him to read any of it, especially not when _he_ was trying to act like a father.

But Snatcher wasn't jealous, he would never admit to that. At least, that's what he kept telling himself.

The food on the white plate wasn't anything fancy, just a slice of ham and a few veggies for protein, and Xander placed the cup of water on the table near the door.

"Hey you go, Seraph- I mean, here you go, Hat Kid." Her father exclaimed, more than happy to cook her dinner. Of course, Cooking Cat only let him help, and he was tasked with cleaning dishes and making sure the temperatures was right.

"Oh, thanks, father. The food looks really good." Hat Kid grins and stands to her feet, to which she proceeds to walk over to her cluttered desk where she likes to eat when she's not busy.

Cooking Cat waves her paw and retreats out the door, "Alright, ya'll. I'll be making dessert if you need me. And Hat Kid, enjoy the food~!"

Waving her goodbye, Hat Kid begins digging into the ham using her fork and knife, to which she licks her lips at the taste. Cooking Cat was always such a good cook, but she never understood how she was able to hold utensils with a cat-hand.

"So, _Hat Kid_ is what you call yourself these days, sweetheart? How did you come up with the name?" Xander asked awkwardly.

As Hat Kid looked up at him mid-chew, he was just standing there, all dressed head to toe in Sehan's military uniform, but he never wore a crown. He _despised_ crowns, especially since the royal staff continually told him he wasn't royalty by blood, therefore he wasn't allowed to wear them, so he stuck to hats. 

For example, King Xander enjoyed wearing _top hats_ whenever he wore formals outside of Sehan's military. Specifically, purple and gold.

"...You're wearing my old hat, aren't you? Is it for sentimental reasons?" He asked sweetly, making Snatcher tilt his head in confusion and look over at Hat Kid as if expecting an answer himself.

Either Hat Kid was making assumptions too quickly, or her father was trying to make Snatcher jealous. But yes, before Hat Kid had fled the only home she ever knew, she snuck into a room where her father's items were thrown into a locked away, and found the closest thing she could find to take with her.

His hat was the first thing she grabbed, and without a single tear rolling down her cheek, she placed the hat on her head and disappeared that very same night.

Still eating, Hat Kid took a bite of the veggies, which she thought to be steamed broccoli, but she didn't bother to notice. Especially not when her father was so eager to hear her answer about the hat.

"Well, I mean, heh..." She began, "I had to keep something that belonged to you... Otherwise Mother would have thrown everything away." She took a sip of water once she finished talking.

Her father nodded understandingly, and he asked yet another question. "So, the entire Moon Colony was wiped out? Ophelia just... just destroyed one of the moons?"

"Father, I'd rather not talk about-"

"But, Seraphina, I need answers. If we're going to overthrow your mother, I need to know what we're up against. I need to know what happened to our home. Please, sweetheart, what happened while you were the-" He was cut off by Snatcher's deep voice.

"She said she doesn't want to talk about it, Xander. Respect that and let her eat." Snatcher didn't look up from his book and turned the page, "And it's Hat Kid. Not Seraphina."

Hat Kid smiled a little once she realized Snatcher stood up for her, but there was no need. Her father was kind, sure, maybe even a little pressing when it came to matters that he wanted to know about; He was a king after all. But sometimes, he used his kindness to get what he wanted, and it was never pretty.

Xander and Snatcher locked eyes, not a death glare, but the two of them had an understanding. Snatcher wants what's best for Hat Kid, and Xander knew that since his daughter was shaken up by what happened, the last thing her father wanted was to make her relive it.

"Right, Snatcher. My sincerest apologizes... I just wanted to know what happened in my absence. I-"

"Apologize to your daughter, not me." Snatcher shook his head and huffed.

Had it been Queen Ophelia asking Hat Kid these questions, Snatcher would have fought her right then and there for even daring to verbally mistreat Hat Kid. Oddly enough, with Xander, he was understanding to a fault. Like all parents, they wanted answers from their children, but unfortunately, their children weren't ready to share information with them just yet.

"You don't have to apologize, you know? It's fine." Hat Kid chuckled, and her father put his hand on her back and chuckled along with her. "Well, I'm very relieved to hear that. I'm blessed by your mercy, my pretty little princess."

Snatcher rolled his eyes and allowed Xander to keep talking, no matter how much he wanted to tell him to shut up for once.

"Alright, well, hear me out. Given the fact that I am the king of Sehan and the captain of the guard, I think you should gather up your friends and take back what's ours!"

Snatcher looked up from his book and sighed. "What are you going on about...?"

"...We need to get back to Sehan and overthrow Ophelia." Xander stated matter-of-factually.

Snatcher never would have expected Xander to say that, nor did Snatcher expect that he would agree with a man he distrusted.

Hat Kid managed to cough on a piece of broccoli as her father made such an insane exclamation. "You're joking, right?" 


	3. What's the Plan?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xander tags along with Snatcher and Hat Kid as she rounds up her friends for yet another adventure. Xander asks if Bow Kid can come along, unbeknownst to how dangerous Queen Ophelia can be. Snatcher and Xander have a heart to heart about everyone's safety, as well.

Had it not been for Snatcher conveniently "getting in the way" of Xander's ridiculous greetings and conversation starters, Hat Kid would have had a harder time attempting to request that her friends come along on their final adventure to save her home-planet. Mustache Girl was the first one she asked, especially since both Hat Kid and Snatcher knew that Mustache Girl wouldn't be too keen on going back to the planet she almost died on, but if it was to rid the world of a bad person and crown a wholesome individual into power, then maybe overthrowing Ophelia wouldn't be _that_ bad in comparison to sitting around on a Mafia-infested island all day. Regardless, it was still a hassle nonetheless, especially now that Bow Kid was involved as well.

If it were any other less dangerous adventure, Hat Kid would have been absolutely thrilled to bring Bow Kid along, but Queen Ophelia was an enemy that always had tricks up her sleeve and Bow Kid wouldn't know how to fight. Even if Hat Kid managed to amass an entire army to take down her deranged and exiled mother, Ophelia would simply do the same thing using the power of the Time Pieces; raise the dead, use corpses of fallen soldiers like puppets, practically like necromancy. If a corpse can fight, she would use it to defend herself and what's left of her "kingdom". Even if Hat Kid loses her friends in the process, her mother would turn them against her if needed, and Hat Kid would fail in a dramatic display of regret and betrayal.

Hat Kid wouldn't let that happen... she's _not_ going to let anything happen to her friends and family. Her father will know what to do when the time comes since he was the general of the army of Sehan, so his courage and valor gave Hat Kid a sad sense of security she didn't know she had. 

The only question was how long her perseverance was going to last, but judging by how even her father seemed mentally incapable of usurping Ophelia's throne, there may be a good chance that Hat Kid was way in over her head. 

As much as Hat Kid hated to admit it, there might be a slight chance that Snatcher is the only one truly capable of aiding Hat Kid and her father in saving Sehan from Ophelia, but even then, Snatcher and Ophelia had an awful feud that last time they were on Sehan, so there was no telling how quickly they would go at each other's throats the second the ghost and the deranged queen came into contact with one another. 

Hat Kid only guessed it would end in tragedy; or a stolen soul depending on whether or not her mother had a soul to begin with.

* * *

"You're telling me we got to go _back_ to a dilapidated old ruin to overthrow your mum?" Mustache Girl asked pensively whilst sun-bathing in the Mafia Town sun. Her orange eyes were closed tightly and her head was resting on a pillow on her striped blue hammock. The hammock in question was unbelievably strung high above the streets of Mafia Town with only two towering buildings keeping both the hammock and Mustache Girl suspended in the air, albeit dangerously.

Mustache Girl was bored, it seemed, but somehow she wasn't terrified of heights. Despite Xander's ever growing anxiety regarding her safety, Mustache Girl was completely unbothered. It almost seemed like she was getting a kick out of scaring them half to death, so with a slight smirk she dangled her right leg over the side of the hammock and began swinging it back and forth.

"Uh-huh... Can you help us? Please?" Hat Kid requested, and her father spoke up as well, "Listen, Mustache Girl, I have no idea what happened to you while you were on Sehan, but you have every right to be nervous. It's going to be alright-"

"I'm not _nervous_! I just have better things to do than follow a bunch of weirdos around and act as your personal bodyguard. Ophelia has got some serious issues that I could care less about. Sorry, but I'm not coming." Mustache Girl snapped back, prompting Xander to twiddle his fingers together in confusion.

Snatcher groaned and stood up for Xander since he couldn't do it himself. "Listen here, young lady, I don't know who you think you are but last time I checked you stood up for Hat Kid the last time you were on Sehan, didn't you? Hat Kid saved the world once and she can do it again; with or without your help."

By now, Mustache Girl was less likely to join Hat Kid with how rudely she was being treated. Huffing, she stuck her tongue out at Xander, Snatcher, and Hat Kid and waved her hand as if to ignore their pleas. "Overthrowing the leader of the Mafia was one thing. Overthrowing a genocidal maniac is another. You want me to come along? Ha! You'll probably dispose of me the second I become unuseful, so thanks! ... But no thanks." She closed her eyes again and grinned while continuing to lounge around.

Snatcher looked down at Hat Kid and sighed at her miserable expression. He could see her furrowed brows and her mouth open in shock. Her tiny hands grabbed hold of her purple tunic and she squeezed it to try and calm down. Xander looked equally as distraught, but he looked more disappointed than his daughter.

"Come on, kiddo, let's go. If that brat doesn't want to come along, she doesn't have to. You can bring along that other human friend of yours... What was her name again?" Snatcher asked, and his smile grew wider once Hat Kid looked up at her BFF. 

"Bow Kid?" Hat Kid asked quizzically, and Snatcher more or less agreed. He had no real idea what the other kid's name was, but if Hat Kid knew her name, all Snatcher had to do was nod and act like he pretended to know who she was talking about. 

"Okay..." Hat Kid sighed, and began to turn around and follow Snatcher.

Xander on the other hand, continued to watch Mustache Girl lie around on the hammock as if she didn't have a care in the world. He felt his heart rate quicken from anger, and his hands balled into fists as he marched over to the rope tied around the nail hoisting the hammock in the air. With his eyes narrowing, he kneeled and pulled out his dagger, then brought the blade to the rope in a fit of rage. _No one_ upsets his daughter and gets away with it.

"Open your eyes, you little brat!" Xander shouted, hoping to gain everyone's attention. Strands of short blonde hair fell against his face as he looked down at the rope with narrowed green eyes, and the dagger already began to cut it; not all the way through, but he could see a few strands jutting out in different directions. A bird flew by as his voice echoed throughout the streets.

"What now- Ah!" As Mustache Girl opened her orange eyes, they widened as Hat Kid's father pressed the dagger threateningly against the rope. She knew exactly what he was doing; Either she join Hat Kid in usurping Ophelia's throne, or she stays on the island with a broken leg or worse. "You wouldn't do that! Look at how high up I am! The drop would... it would kill me!"

Hearing the commotion, Hat Kid turns around and gasps, prompting Snatcher to turn around as well. As if on impulse, he presses himself closer to Hat Kid to keep her safe.

Her father had a satisfied grin on his face as he watched Mustache Girl go from lying down on the hammock to pleading on her knees midair. A single tear ran down her cheek in fear of what Hat Kid's father was going to do, and Mustache Girl was trapped on a hammock and suspended over a hard, concrete floor below. She wouldn't have enough time to correct herself using a nose-dive if she fell, so she could only plead with him to keep the dagger away from the rope before it got cut any further.

Shielding Hat Kid from view, Snatcher tugged on Xander's shoulder to break him out of whatever trance he was in. The king didn't bother to look at the ghost, but he still cursed under his breath once he corrected his footing. 

Snatcher cried out, "Xander! Look at what you're doing! Just because Mustache Girl is a brat it doesn't give you the right to pressurize her into joining us! Quit acting like Ophelia!"

"Don't you realize what's at stake, Mustache Girl? Sehan is our home! Seraphina and I deserve to take it back! Have a heart, please! I may not know you, but if you were really Seraphina's friend you would help us put me back into power!" Xander cries out, completely ignoring Snatcher.

Before Mustache Girl could reply, she watched Snatcher shove Xander away from the edge of the building to try, at the very least, to protect Mustache Girl and stop Hat Kid's father from doing something dangerous. As he was thrown, Xander managed to cut the rope using his dagger with clenched teeth. The rope, now meeting gravity began causing the hammock to tilt from a 180 degree angle to a 130 degree angle within a matter of seconds. 

Now worried for her life, Mustache Girl took a leap of faith and lunged towards the edge of the building with her eyes locked on Hat Kid. She said nothing, but her expression seemingly pleaded, "Grab me! Hurry! Before I fall!" Her arms flailed around in some unsuccessful attempt to grab onto the ledge, but it was no use. Mustache Girl needed Hat Kid to save her life.

Immediately understanding, Hat Kid grabs Mustache Girl's arm and hoists her onto the top of the building where she was on safe ground. The two girls fall to the floor, Mustache Girl on top of Hat Kid, and the blonde begins to sob silently into Hat Kid's shirt. 

"Thanks..." Mustache Girl whispers, not able to compose herself, "I-I'll come with you guys. Okay? I'll help you, just... don't ever do that again."

Xander rubs his hands together as if he was proud of himself, even if he almost sent a little girl falling to her death. Standing to his feet, he then combs through his unruly blonde locks, and says to Snatcher, "There. All it took was a little harsh convincing, but now she's coming with us. Now, who are we bringing along next?"

Snatcher looks at the two girls embracing, and then back to Xander, who seemed to be awaiting a response. Snatcher thought Xander was better than this; at least, that's what Hat Kid told him, but he think Xander would never endanger a child just for speaking out of line. Either Snatcher was getting too soft, or Xander was acting _way_ too suspiciously for his taste.

Ignoring Xander's behavior, Hat Kid replies, "The Conductor and DJ Grooves... _and then maybe Bow Kid._ " She whispered the last part.

He sheaths the dagger and hides it in his coat pocket. "Alright, then lead the way."

* * *

Unsurprisingly enough, DJ Grooves and the Conductor were more than happy to join Hat Kid and crew on another adventure to save Sehan. Now that Dead Bird Studio was collaborating with one another, DJ Grooves and the Conductor mixed the Wild West with New Style Funk that seemed to actually bring in money, rather than have them spend it all at once. 

All they needed to do was pack their bags and they would be ready, but that was all Hat Kid and Xander needed to hear.

Mustache Girl was still quiet from her near-death experience from earlier, and unfortunately, Snatcher didn't really have it in him to console her, since, well, she did take over the world at one point and he never really forgave her for it. Regardless, Hat Kid's father had been talking to the Conductor and DJ Grooves about the movies they make while at Dead Bird Studio, whereas Mustache Girl and Snatcher were going to look around for supplies that could help them on their journey.

And then there was a face she hadn't expected to see, but was still more than happy to appreciate nonetheless. 

Talking to a Moon Penguin near a pile of boxes was Bow Kid, holding her stuffed animal of what looked to be one of the Empress's goons turned into plushie form. The plushie in question was most likely a gift from the Empress, especially since Bow Kid helped out around the "jewelry store" like Hat Kid did before the whole Time Piece fiasco. Her brown curly hair was tied back with her blue bow, and her big purple eyes blinked every so often while continuing the conversation. 

Hat Kid waved silently, and Bow Kid looked over when she noticed movement out of the corner of her eyes. Immediately, her smile widened and she told the penguin something that could only be deciphered as, "Talk to you later!" and ran over to Hat Kid while holding the plushie close. "Hat Kid! Hi!" 

The two kids embraced and giggled as Hat Kid replied, "Hi, Bow Kid! What are you doing in Dead Bird Studio?"

Bow Kid let go of Hat Kid and put up her index finger and requested, "Wait here! I'll get my costume!"

As Bow Kid sprinted off into a nearby dressing room, Hat Kid's blue eyes blinked and her mouth went into a little "o" shape by how energetic Bow Kid was, simply from hanging out with one of her friends.

In a matter of seconds, Bow Kid comes out of the room wearing a green cat onesie, complete with its own fluffy tail that flopped whenever Bow Kid ran around. Hat Kid cheered and clapped when Bow Kid jumped in the air, and the paws were outstretched. It seems the costume had fully functional retractable claws, but they were dull; bummer. "I'm a background character, but DJ Grooves wanted to cast me as someone with a lot of lines, so the Conductor had this made for me! Isn't it cute? I was going to show it to the Empress once shooting was done for the day!"

"Ahh, ohmigosh! It's adorable! They even have whiske-" She begins coughing, and realizes she's strained her voice so much throughout the day that now it's nothing more than a raspy whisper. She clears her throat and begins speaking again, "The whiskers are cute."

Bow Kid was about to reply, but heard Hat Kid's father speak out of nowhere. "Wow! Look at you, you little superstar! You're playing a cat in the new movie, huh?"

Hat Kid still kept her smile, but it wasn't a grin. Bow Kid, on the other hand, was more than happy to talk about her role in the next big movie, and showed off her outfit by doing a little twirl.

Xander clapped and laughed along, but Hat Kid knew exactly what he was doing, and his actions were more along the lines of a man who only wanted to recruit warriors rather than bring along friends. It was too bad Snatcher wasn't here to keep an eye on Hat Kid's father, especially since he was being more of a nuisance rather than help. 

Xander flashed a toothy grin Bow Kid's way and continued to clap as Bow Kid posed wearing her costume for the movie. "Marvelous, darling! Marvelous! Give us another twirl!" Xander requested, then shoved Hat Kid forwards so that she could request Bow Kid to come along on the adventure.

Looking over her shoulder with a confused sneer, Hat Kid rolled her eyes and listened to her father without any back-talk, but she still wanted him to know that she didn't want to bring along Bow Kid in fear of her getting hurt.

"Hey, listen, Bow Kid..." Hat Kid said, her blue eyes fixed on Bow Kid's purple ones to make her pay more attention. "We really need your help, so we were hoping, uh..."

Xander continued the question, "All of us were hoping if you could come along on an adventure to our home-planet; Sehan. You see, my wife kinda went bonkers and became an evil tyrant, ahaha... You know, mid-life crisis and all that. Look, the point being, we really need your help."

Her father stretched the truth just a little bit... Okay, maybe he stretched the truth a whole lot, but if it was to make Bow Kid join their little army, this was the only way to do it.

"Well, I _did_ already do my scene... so I can come along since I'm free. And I always wanted to see your home, Hat Kid! This is going to be great! I get to meet your mom too!"

Hat Kid tried to smile and nodded along. Hat Kid's father, on the other hand, gave Bow Kid a high-five and continued to laugh along with her. "We'll be picking you, the Conductor, and DJ Grooves up on Hat Kid's spaceship. Don't be late, little one~"

"Yep! I can't wait to see your home-planet, Hat Kid! Oh! I should start packing for the trip! Bye, Hat Kid's dad! Bye, everyone else!" Bow Kid giggled and ran off to find her suitcase, and Hat Kid immediately had a wave of unease wash over her.

Her father pat the top hat on her head and chuckled, making Hat Kid sway since the hat was almost the same size of her.

"Bow Kid is a nice girl. It's nice to see you with so many friends, Hat Kid." Xander said, just as Snatcher and Mustache Girl came back.

"Yeah... I love them a lot." Hat Kid replied, "Do you like them too?"

Xander smiled and nodded, "I'll admit; a ghost, an "owl", a penguin staging as a DJ, a girl with a mustache, and a girl with a strange obsession with cats wasn't what I expected when you said they were your friends, but as long as you have people you can love and trust, I'll love them just the same."

Snatcher spoke up with a sneer; he never liked getting jealous. "Okay, we'll all be leaving tomorrow. Mustache Girl will get her stuff ready in Mafia Town by tomorrow morning and we'll meet up on Hat Kid'd spaceship once we're well rested."

"See you soon, then, darlings!" DJ Grooves shouted, giving a wave.

The Conductor followed suit with a spring in his step. "I'll make sure to pack me knife, lass!" 

Hat Kid felt a little bit better.

* * *

"Good-night, sweetheart. We're going to have a big day tomorrow so make sure to have your rest." Xander said, tucking in his daughter. Hat Kid was already fast asleep wearing her purple corgi pajamas, so Xander turned off the light and allowed the ship to perform its night cycle to simulate the sun going down.

Backing out of the room, Xander smiled to himself and found his way back into the HUB where Snatcher was staring out the window. He brought his candles and his book into the HUB to stare out at the starry sky, and the planet where he could see his home; Subcon Forest. With nowhere else to sit, Snatcher was sitting on the hamburger relic that caused their entire adventure such a long time ago.

Snatcher heard the bedroom door open and close and turned his head Xander's direction. His expression stayed the same; unbothered and bored. "So, the kid finally fell asleep after a big day, huh?"

Xander rubbed his hands together and nodded, "Yes, Seraphina managed to fall asleep. After all the nonsense I pulled, it's a wonder she didn't try to argue with me about it." He didn't look Snatcher in the eye as he responded to his question, he only stared out into space and watched the planet beneath them turn, showcasing all the wondrous places to experience.

Snatcher continued reading and ignored what Xander said. It wasn't like the he hated Xander, not like he hated Ophelia, but Snatcher could tell the difference between love and tolerance, and by the way Xander was acting, he only wanted to go back home and see for himself how far gone Ophelia really became.

"Listen, Snatcher, I'm not sure if you believe me, and honestly you have every right not to, but I want to protect everyone from harm. The children need to be taken care of."

To put it simply, the tension in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Xander stepped forward and stood beside Snatcher, watching his candles flicker on the carpet.

"Yeah, because I'm positive Mustache Girl thought that too when you threatened to cut the rope." Snatcher replied in a condescending tone.

Xander winced. "Yes, well... I let my anger get the better of me, but I can assure you that will never happen again."

Snatcher dug his face further into his book. "Pftt, yeah right, I'll believe it when I see it."

Deafening silence dragged on, aside from Rumbi bumping into objects or cleaning the floor. Aside from the spaceship making noises, Xander and Snatcher refused to even maintain eye contact.

Xander spoke, albeit quietly. "I know you've been Seraphina's parental figure for quite awhile now, especially since I've been... well, _dead_ for the past few years, but I just wanted to thank you, Snatcher."

"Huh? For what? And I'm not her parental figure... If anything I'm contractually bound to be her BFF and babysitter. And keep in mind I'm dead too, it's not like you're special." Snatcher replied back with some snark. He found himself beginning to laugh, and a grin found its way to his ghostly face.

Xander chuckled as well as put his hands on his hips, then looked at Snatcher with a grin. "Haha, I mean it. Thank you for being there for her when no one else was. She talks about you all the time, even when you're not around her. Of course, the matter of stealing her soul is something you and I will need to have a long conversation about..."

"Hey! I gave that smelly old soul back to her! Sheesh..." 

The two men shared another laugh and continued to stare out at the stars. It was difficult to find the right words, but Xander managed to keep the conversation going. "Like I said before, I only want what's best for everyone. When the time comes, I'll make sure to stand by everyone's side and make them proud, so until I can tell the others... I want to protect you, Snatcher."

Snatcher's eyes widened and his smile began to waver a bit. He looked away from his book to stare Xander in the eyes, and his expression softened. "I appreciate the sentiment, Xander, but you do realize I can't die, right? We should be the ones protecting you, especially since you're supposed to be the new ruler of Sehan once we get rid of Ophelia, you know."

"...I meant what I said. If anything happens to me, _again_ ," he chuckles, "Take care of Seraphina for me, and turn her into a queen that I can be proud of."

"Hm, I can't promise anything, but I'll try... You should get some rest, Xander." Snatcher says, his voice low.

Xander nods and places a hand on Snatcher's arm, to which Snatcher retracts. He still wasn't used to affection after what Queen Vanessa did to him all those years ago, and he wasn't ready to start now. "Oh, sorry, sorry... Um, I'll find someplace to sleep. Good night, Snatcher." 

Without another word, Xander walks back into Hat Kid's bedroom to get some sleep on her mountain of pillows.

Snatcher sighs and tries to read his book, but the sensation of being touched lingers on what used to be his arm. If Snatcher had a heart, it would be racing.

"You'll protect me, huh?" Snatcher asks no one, "Stick to protecting Hat Kid first."


	4. War of Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hat Kid and her friends make their way to Sehan via spaceship, but hyper speed was a no-go. Unfortunately, everyone grows antsy from the anxiety and fear of going back, leading to a few arguments.

"Do you have any three's?" Bow Kid asks Mustache Girl, who is sitting directly across from her on the green carpet of the HUB of Hat Kid's spaceship.

"Three what? You gotta be more descriptive than that, Bow." Mustache Girl replies, before shadily hiding her group of cards against her chest. She grins and looks off to the side, as if expecting Bow Kid to get the wrong answer.

"Um... Do you have a three of clubs, Mu?" Bow asks as she nervously looks down at her cards. One more three of clubs and she would win, but there was no way it would happen, unless through sheer luck. Her heart skipped a beat as Mustache Girl's orange eyes scanned her deck of cards, and with a scoff, she pulls a three of clubs out of the deck and hands it to Bow Kid.

"You win, I suppose. Good job." Mustache Girl sighed out, then put her own cards back into the large deck. Looking out into space and the stars zooming by, she realized that they still had a long way to go before getting to Sehan. That was their third round of Go Fish, and the last thing Mustache Girl wanted was to have a fourth round.

Xander was at the cockpit manning the controls with Hat Kid on his lap, and Mustache Girl could barely make out their sentences, but it seemed they were having a very lively conversation to take the edge off about arriving back to that horrible planet. Everything led up to this moment; Xander was going to be put back into power as king of Sehan, but Hat Kid and her friends didn't want to talk about _how_ they were going to get rid of Ophelia, or if they were even able to with how powerful she is. Regardless, Bow Kid and Mustache Girl cleaned up their card game and decided to take another walk around the spaceship.

The Conductor and DJ Grooves were once again discussing some movie ideas that could be collaborative to a fault, but there was no telling where they were, or if they were going to start bickering again. Even through the metal doors and the wooden walls, the Conductor's booming voice could be heard boasting about trains and the wild west and how funk could be incorporated into it. DJ Grooves didn't have a chance to reply, but there was the occasional laughter here and there as he agreed with the story-line.

There were also several instances of the word "reboot" being spoken over and over.

And then there was Snatcher, unfortunately, all alone in Hat Kid's bedroom who's been reading the same old "How to Kill Kids" book over and over throughout their hours long journey. There were times when he found himself so bored, he stared at the stars and the overwhelming darkness of space and quite literally, stared _into_ space while thinking over strategies to keep everyone safe from Ophelia. Back when she was defeated, he told her that if he had the chance, he would get rid of her right then and there without any remorse for hurting Hat Kid and destroying the kingdom of Sehan just like Queen Vanessa destroyed the Subcon Forest using her ice magic.

Queen Vanessa killed Snatcher... so there was no doubt about it that Ophelia would just as easily kill everyone else, even if she didn't have magic. But what Snatcher worried most about was Xander, even if he didn't really want to. That moment where he and Xander had a heart-to-heart about wanting to keep everyone safe was definitely needed, but what Snatcher couldn't understand was why Xander had to reassure Snatcher by putting a hand on his arm without a second thought. It wasn't like Snatcher hated the affection, especially since the intention was to make Snatcher prepared for something that could potentially cause the deaths of ~~his~~ Hat Kid's friends.

Maybe it was a weird human emotion he couldn't get rid of... 

Regardless, Snatcher had been alone for the beginning of the trip, and he wanted to keep it that way out of pure spite. He missed the Subcon Forest, he missed his Subconites, and he missed his _chair_ , of all things. Snatcher wanted to go back to the nice and quiet days of ruling Subcon Forest, but he knew there was no going back now. His only hope was that Queen Vanessa wouldn't try to attack his precious forest while he was gone, but his minions can protect their home well enough without their boss around.

The isolation was nice in the beginning, especially since everyone was doing their own thing and they weren't bothering the poor ghost, but now that he's the same pages over and over and stayed quiet way too long, Snatcher found himself longing for some attention. It's not like he didn't want to be around people, he's just so much of a tsundere that he'd rather waste his precious time than sit around and make conversation with those fools out in the HUB of the spaceship.

Grumbling to himself, Snatcher placed his book to the side and snuffed out his candles to prepare for landing when the moment presented itself, and as if expecting it, the automatic door opened. His eyes went from the candles to the door, and he felt an overwhelming sense of relief wash over him when he was no longer alone. "Ah, hey there, kiddo! How're you doing?"

Hat Kid, sticker-coated bat in hand, smiled towards Snatcher and gave him a wave as she ran over to the lonely ghost. "I'm fine, thanks! But, what about you? Aren't you... lonely in here all by yourself?" Her smile wavered a little as she noticed just how isolated Snatcher looked, especially since he was in her bedroom with nothing to do but read a book titled "How to Kill Kids" for the fifth time this past few hours. Hat Kid sat right beside him with her little legs hanging over the pile of pillows, and every so often she would swing her legs.

Snatcher "What? No! No, you see, _I_ have much better things to do than sit around and talk to boring and insignificant fools who think their lives are so interesting that they need to shout it from the rooftops. So no, I am much better off alone." 

"...But you're talking to me." Hat Kid smugly replied, and she nudged him in the arm, prompting a scoff from the old ghost, "You and I are BFF's! Or are you so proud that you can't admit to liking us?" She twirled her bat a little and stared at the cute stickers she collected around Nyakuza Metro, and picked at the sides; a force of habit that will eventually lead to the stickers peeling off if she wasn't careful.

Snatcher dodged the question by replying, "Well, at least you're able to speak without coughing over and over. At first I thought you would keep that stupid mouth shut forever and I wouldn't have to hear the squeaky voice of yours-" Hat Kid interrupted Snatcher once she balled her hands into fists and threw her bat to the side. It thumped as it hit the carpet, and Hat Kid jumped to her feet with a somewhat furious expression that Snatcher had no intention of making fun of. 

The purple ghost had no idea what threw Hat Kid over the edge, especially since he was just joking around, but _apparently_ Hat Kid hated hearing about how strange her voice sounded. He didn't give the comment much thought since he always belittled her over everything, but now that he thought about, Hat Kid was going back to her home-planet where she literally almost _died_ via strangulation, so her reaction was completely justified.

"It's not-" Hat Kid tries to say, but her voice immediately becomes hoarse. The conversation her and her father were having overworked her vocal cords to the point where she could barely talk back without tears coming to her eyes and a scratchy feeling clawing at the back of her throat. "My voice isn't," She cleared her throat and spoke again, "My voice isn't squeaky! _Peck_ , why do you always dodge the question when I try to be friends with you?!"

"Whoa, kiddo, calm down, I just wanted to joke with you a little bit. You know, to take the edge off... I didn't mean anything by it." Snatcher tried to explain his reasoning, but Hat Kid didn't buy it for a second. "This is about seeing your home again, isn't it? Sehan isn't the same as it used to be and your mom is still out there barely clinging to what little sanity she has left

Hat Kid wiped the tears away and hiccuped, before deciding that maybe Snatcher was right, "You're not helping! You try to understand, but then you don't, and I know you want to reassure me that things will be fine... B-But what if they aren't? Father thinks everything will be fine, but everyone is on edge. _I'm_ on edge! I-" Her ranting was cut short by a sudden heaving, as if she was having a mix between a panic attack and an asthma attack.

"Hey, Hat Kid, it's alright," Promptly coming to her aid, he lifted her up in his arms and tried to hold her steady, but she was still venting all her frustrations out on him without warning, so all he could say was, "Just take deep breaths, kiddo. Everything will be fine and nothing is going to hurt us... I won't let that happen. Not to you, not to Xander, heck, I'll protect the Conductor, DJ Grooves, and those two brats, and before you say anything, no! I'm not lying to make you feel better."

Hat Kid hiccuped and held Snatcher close, then pressed her head against him as she squeezed tighter. "Do you promise? Nothing bad will happen to us?" Her big blue eyes looked into his glowing yellow ones, and very small smile graced her features. 

Snatcher winced a little in regret. He couldn't _promise_ that he would keep everyone safe, especially since he was already dead, but that also meant he was invincible and he could put up a fight for long periods of time without having to grow tired... Unless he didn't turn blue.

He didn't want to make a promise and not follow through on it, especially since Hat Kid poured her heart out to him just now, but with a soft sigh, he hunched his spineless back downwards and acted like his old self. "I don't know, kiddo... That's a pretty big promise to keep, and even then I remember you broke our promise without a second thought. So why should I have to promise to protect all of you when I'll just do it? You know, free of charge." He stopped talking right then and there.

Hat Kid was somewhat satisfied with his answer, but knowing that she was to blame for this entire adventure made her realize that she was the problem, and her heart sank. Sniffling, she calmed down and managed to breathe again, so she hopped off the walkway and onto the carpet floor below. Picking up her baseball bat, she began picking at the sides of the stickers again, then rested it on her shoulder as she turned back around. 

"I'll be in the HUB if you need me, Snatcher." Hat Kid said quietly, wiping away the rest of her falling tears.

Snatcher sighs and waves goodbye. "Okay, kiddo."

As she made her way to the automatic door, it opened, and through the hallway, she could hear an argument going down between the Conductor and Mustache Girl; but it's not like Hat Kid was too surprised, especially since everyone was tired of being stuck on a spaceship for these past few hours. Her father was still manning the controls, but every so often he would turn around in his seat and order them to "Stay quiet!" and then turn right back around to fly the ship correctly.

Bow Kid was off to the side with DJ Grooves, most likely asking him how they were going to fix this. Snatcher, on the other hand, came to Hat Kid's side and began listening in on them as well, but he didn't want a repeat of last time.

He despised that hamburger relic for getting them into this mess, and if he could, he would throw the Conductor into space for breaking it.

Once Mustache Girl and the Conductor get into an argument, it takes them an awfully long time to get them out of it. They were arguing about who-knows-what, but Hat Kid heard something she didn't expect to hear. Topic after topic was being tossed around at once, and the Conductor seemed awfully persistent about his personal opinion. As for Mustache Girl, she pointed at him angrily, and stomped her foot onto the green carpet to get her point across.

It was only then did Hat Kid finally make out the muffled yelling, and it was only a matter of time before her father finally decided to be involved.

* * *

Mustache Girl shouted out, "Once we get to Sehan, what are we going to do, huh? Are we just going to park this stupid hunk of junk onto the planet and step out, marching along and singing? We have to come up with an ambush to take down Ophelia! You remember how dangerous she was, Conductor! For once, use that thick skull of yours and think of a plan!"

The Conductor's ears went back and he balled his hands into fists. "I'll have you know, you little wretch, that other than talking about our next movie, Grooves and I have been discussing strategies on how we're going to keep you wee ones out of harms way-"

"Oh, yeah, yeah, because talking about another flop of a movie is discussing tactics on what to do and what not to do around a genocidal maniac, thank you for clarifying."

DJ Grooves defended his and the Conductor's creations by taking a step forwards. "Excuse me, darling, but I would like to see you make a movie that's better than ours, come back to us, and explain about how hard it was to find actors, a budget, and a story to make it work!"

Bow Kid raised her hand awkwardly. "If it matters, I think their movies are wonderful-" "See? She gets it! So why can't you?" The Conductor butted in.

"Ugh, we're getting off track, all I want is to come up with a good plan in case Ophelia is waiting for us right when we land the spaceship. We need to do this carefully." Mustache Girl groaned out, but it seemed they didn't want to listen to reason.

The three of them continued to bicker, and eventually Bow Kid sided with both of them since she couldn't choose a side.

Meanwhile, at the cockpit, Xander clenches his teeth together and rolls his eyes. His heart-rate was increasing, so that was never a good sign. He needed to concentrate, but his daughter's friends were being extremely loud and they were making it impossible to fly the ship. He breathed in and out, then stood up with his eyes closed.

He pressed a few buttons, seemingly already memorized in his mind, and turned around with an expression so serious you would think he was commanding an army. Opening his green eyes, he stared down at Mustache Girl and lolled his head to the side. 

Mustache Girl risked a look towards the small screen, and realized Xander had put the spaceship in autopilot, which was a good idea since the ship could potentially go off-course.

"Mustache Girl, I appreciate the sentiment, and I too am coming with an idea of how we can park the ship, but you shouldn't be so loud. I understand that you're angry, and I understand that you're nervous, but remember that we're all going to be there for each other. It's seven against one, so there's no way Ophelia is going to win." Kneeling down, Xander put his hand on her shoulder and she crossed her arms with a huff. 

Xander turned towards the Conductor now.

"DJ Grooves and Conductor, I'm sure that your movies are phenomenal, so don't let Mustache Girl get to you. And Bow Kid, thank you for trying to break them up. Look, everyone, we shouldn't be arguing before our fight. We need to have a clear head, otherwise we're going to be all over the place if we try to fight her. Ophelia has to be afraid of _us_ , we can't be afraid of her. My daughter is counting on us to put me back into power as the king of Sehan, and Snatcher needs to get home to his own kingdom soon. If we're going to go our separate ways later, we need to work together now. Everyone understand?" He said.

His voice was soft and calming, and Hat Kid found herself smiling at his words. Snatcher watched Hat Kid dash through the hallway, arms held out wide and all, and crashed into her father, giving him a big hug for promising that everyone will be kept safe and sound. He laughed and accepted it quickly whilst whispering how brave of a girl his daughter was.

Snatcher hated to admit it, but he was jealous. 

Making his way through the hallway, Snatcher's eyes caught something, a planet-sized sphere, looming in the distance. He squinted and tried to see any colors from the ocean or continents, or practically anything that could be an indicator that this sphere was either Sehan or one of the moons. "Hey, Xander, a planet showed up. I mean, it's big enough to be a planet, anyway." Snatcher said, and Xander acted immediately.

Rushing back to the cockpit, Xander turns off autopilot and allows the spaceship to drift in space, but he had his hands on the steering wheel to keep it steady. "I see it. Let me fly towards it." 

At the discovery of this planet, everyone grew uneasy, and they had every reason to. Hat Kid's spaceship passed the Moon Colony's ruins, and eventually evaded their eyes once the buildings came into view. Chunks and bits of moon rock floated around each other, and unfortunately shards of glass from the protective dome were shining like stars. Snatcher swore he could see a skeleton floating nearby, but he didn't want to touch on it too much.

"Ophelia did this? Is... _Was_ this the Moon Colony? The ones that... the ones that killed me? What did you do to them?" Xander whispered, but Hat Kid couldn't tell if he was talking to himself or he was preparing to confront his wife about this inhumane act of murder.

Eventually, the spaceship passed the broken moon, and showed what used to be Sehan. When Hat Kid and her friends arrived a long time ago, the sea was a brilliant blue and every continent had luscious greenery that provided a nurturing home for its residents. Now, after such a long time, the ocean was a disgusting muddy grey, and the greenery was replaced with a deep yellow with a brownish cast that was visible from space. 

Sehan, the home-planet of King Xander and Seraphina, had turned into nothing more than a wasteland, and they had no idea how to save it.


	5. The Twilight Zone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sehan has now become a barren wasteland and Queen Ophelia is nowhere to be found. With Hat Kid and her friends on high alert, they explore the abandoned citadel in the hopes of finding her whereabouts. Unfortunately for them, Ophelia has a few tricks up her sleeve.

The spaceship came to a grinding halt once Xander made the final adjustments to the thrusters as the ship entered the atmosphere. He watched the buttons flash and the dirt rise up against the glass window of his daughter's ship, and after what felt like an eternity, the spaceship made a safe landing onto Sehan's old and crumbling tarmac used for military ships. A few weeds and bushes were scattered here and there around the area, but there was absolutely nothing of interest for miles once the group looked out against the horizon. Clumpy grey dirt was the only thing that remained of Sehan's incredibly soft grass, and the Wisteria forest was filled with dead or blackened trees from the fire caused by the falling spaceship so long ago.

The poor sun was being shielded by heavy black and white clouds in the sky, and an uneasy haze hung over the castle itself, almost like it was taunting them for coming back.

The buildings and businesses of Sehan were dilapidated and falling apart now from misuse, and by the looks of it, Ophelia stole food and supplies in an attempt to keep herself alive in what used to be her kingdom. Additionally, if Hat Kid squinted well enough, she could see what used to be the lake she and her townspeople would swim in every summer and skate on in the winter months. Now though, it was black and murky, so there was no possible way _anything_ could survive in it, let alone breathe near it.

Hat Kid swore she could see bubbles popping and bubbling at the surface, but she didn't want to lose her lunch so she didn't try to stare at it any longer. She noticed Mustache Girl gagging beside her, and Bow Kid put a hand on her back to help her swallow the bile. As for the Conductor, he wasn't looking whatsoever. He had his hands in his pockets and tried his hardest to stare at something other than what used to be a flourishing kingdom. Hat Kid frowned and tried to console him, almost like a silent reassurance that he wasn't the one that caused all this destruction.

If the Conductor never broke the relic such a long time ago, Sehan would still be a beautiful land full of happy (albeit fabricated) loyal subjects that did whatever Ophelia told them to do. But now, he ruined it, or, he thought he did, anyway. Ophelia was, by all means, the root of all evil, and this planet was no longer a home. Once Xander gets put back into power, he'll make things right and bring the planet back to its former glory. No one blamed the Conductor, especially since he helped save Sehan in a way.

DJ Grooves had his arms crossed as he looked around for any sign of life, but as Xander made the finishing touches on the spaceship, he clears his throat and looks out at what used to be his home, prompting DJ Grooves to look up at Sehan's former king. Xander kept the ship in hover-mode in case they needed a quick escape, and he sighed shakily.

Since Bow Kid never got to see Sehan in its heyday, her immediate reaction to this neglected world was confusion. Bow Kid was confused since Hat Kid tried everything in her power to keep Bow Kid from knowing the truth of what her home looked like. "Does Sehan... always look like this?" Bow Kid asks with a hint of sarcasm.

Whirling around with widened eyes, Mustache Girl exclaimed, "What? No, it was beautiful! There were waterfalls and rivers, an abundance of greenery and ambiance... There was even a shopping center inside of an atrium! Hat Kid's stupid mother made Sehan look like this! That's the whole reason we're here; To turn Sehan back to normal."

Bow Kid twiddled her thumbs together and looked back at the dead planet, and pursed her lips together as if she had to see it to believe it. It wasn't like Bow Kid thought Mustache Girl was lying, but if she claimed Sehan was once a gorgeous kingdom and planet, she would have no choice but to believe her considering she didn't come along last time. Hat Kid consoled Bow Kid by giving her a quick hug, so she felt a little better after getting yelled at. 

"This was Sehan. Our home... it's disgusting." Xander said, his usually baritone voice beginning to crack and break. Placing a hand against his chest, Xander sucks in a breath and closes his eyes. Tears begin streaming down his cheeks and he brings his shoulders downward as he begins to sob and cry. Sehan, his home, the home where Seraphina was born, the home of all his friends and family, his subjects, it was a wasteland with little to no hope of repair.

He continues sobbing and occasionally wipes away the tears with his index finger, but it was no use. The memories he cherished so much were being tainted with this colorless void of lifelessness, and he _hated_ it. No amount of forgiveness was going to save Ophelia from her imminent demise. Xander was sure of it now.

Everything he ever cared for was on this planet and he couldn't bare the thought of it being gone, but he had to stay strong for his daughter and her friends.

As he continued crying, Hat Kid rushed to her father's side and put her hand on his arm to calm him down, but he was in such a fit he could barely say his daughter's nickname without shaking a second later. Hat Kid whispered, "Sh, it's going to be alright. We're all going to fix this... I promise." She looks out at their desolate home and furrows her brows together, but she had no idea if she could keep that promise with how horrid their home became.

Xander looks at her and sighs, then caresses her cheek and kisses her on the forehead as she giggles. Snatcher grimaces and tries to think of a plan to take his mind off Xander and Hat Kid.

Now that Snatcher thought about it, perhaps killing Ophelia would have been a better idea rather than leaving her here all alone. It would have spared him the trouble of having to come back to this miserable looking planet, but he was just glad Sehan didn't look like the Subcon Forest. He hoped his minions were alright on their own, but there was no telling with those mischievous little things. 

Snatcher begins to speak to break the tension, but he could tell that they were downright refusing to take a single step off Hat Kid's spaceship. "Are we just going to keep gawking or are we going to show Ophelia who's boss? Cause I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready for a fight."

After some careful consideration, Snatcher managed to coax Hat Kid to teleport everyone onto the ground and away from the spaceship. It was like having a button that, if pressed, would automatically teleport anyone back into the spaceship in case of an emergency. 

The "oxygen" or what was left of the air and atmosphere around Sehan was quickly deteriorating from the lack of life, given as to why Hat Kid struggled to breath more than usual. She quickly realized she was asthmatic due to the inability to take in enough air to positively affect her breathing, so she had to suck in a breath quickly and shakily to get a regular amount of air. Hat Kid scratches at her chest and pulls on her shirt. 

Snatcher and Xander noticed a lot quicker than the others, who were simply walking around and taking in Sehan at the moment. Bow Kid and Mustache Girl were side by side as Mustache Girl gave Bow Kid a history lesson on how gorgeous Sehan looked before it was ruined, and Bow Kid asked questions, which means she was definitely intrigued. The Conductor and Dj Grooves on the other hand were keeping an eye out and made sure Ophelia wasn't hiding nearby.

Xander kneeled with one leg and came to his daughter's aid by rubbing her back as she struggled to breath. "What is it? Are you having a panic attack, Seraphina?" Xander asks quickly, before searching around in his coat pocket and bringing out a metal canteen. Snatcher watches him frantically open the canteen and bring it to Hat Kid's mouth, which makes him tilt his head to the side a little in confusion.

Hat Kid takes the water gratefully, but she's careful not to drink it all in one go. It wasn't the clean oxygen she truly needed, but she appreciated the sentiment nonetheless considering her throat was starting to get dry. He holds the canteen in place as she drinks, but in order to stop him she places her hands on the canteen and pushes it away. "Thanks, father. I'm going to catch up with Mustache Girl and Bow Kid for now!"

"Alright, my dear, but stay safe, you hear? I don't want you three to get in trou- Oh, it doesn't matter you're already gone." Xander says, watching his daughter speed off using her sprint hat.

"How is water supposed to calm her down exactly?" Snatcher asks, while also keeping an eye out for the others who were getting farther and farther away. "Of course, I'm no father, so I have no idea."

"Oh, well, hm..." Xander stutters as he gets back up. He closes the canteen and puts it back into his coat pocket, then looks up at Snatcher. "It's the same as giving a baby a bottle. It helps them calm down, you know. Seraphina doesn't mind, so why should you bother asking?" 

Hat Kid's two father figures are side by side, but Xander continues to walk while Snatcher floats on by. Xander's arms are behind his back and he smiles towards the sky, already imagining how he's going to fix Sehan. Snatcher, on the other hand, just wants to get this entire adventure over with, so he's just looking around and taking in the sights. He would never say it to Xander's face, but Hat Kid is definitely too old to be treated like a toddler.

"I really wish you would stop calling _Hat Kid_ Seraphina. She doesn't like being called by her name because it reminds her of who she once was. I know I'm not in the right to be talking like I'm her bodyguard, but if it's something she wants, then it's what I want."

Xander nods and watches his daughter and her friends playing and giggling together. "I honestly have no idea why she doesn't like it though. It's such a pretty name, and she's a princess by birth, so I figured she would want to stay royal."

Snatcher scoffs and ignores Xander by staring at DJ Grooves and the Conductor bickering with one another over who gets to carry the knife. He chuckles under his breath and shakes his head. "You do realize that's the whole point right? If anyone found out she was a princess they would try to suck up to her and try to get on her good side in the hopes of gaining something out of it. I should know; I myself was a prince once."

After hearing that Snatcher was once a human being, Xander's green eyes go wide and he excitedly puts his hand to his heart. "You were a prince? W-W... Why? How? You're a ghost! So how in the world did a human prince turn into... you? Forgive me for being so pushy but it's no wonder my daughter likes you if she knew you were of royal blood!"

Snatcher tries to laugh and brush it off, but he could tell Xander was dying to know how he turned into a ghost. Eagerly staring down at Xander, Snatcher puts his ghostly hand to his chest and closes his eyes dramatically as they continued walking towards the citadel to meet up with everyone else.

"Queen Vanessa was to _die_ for! The details are a bit fuzzy now but I do remember being chained up in the cellar all day of everyday once I arrived home. Still have no idea why, but anyway," His grin widens as he watches Xander's mouth turn from a smile to a saddened frown, "I stayed chained to the wall from morning till dusk, unable to drink, eat, or move. The entire kingdom got coated in ice and I could hear her sobbing every time she used magic. Then one day, everything just stopped hurting and I became Snatcher. The end." 

"My goodness, Snatcher, I... I have no idea what to say. That's awful, truly, but I had no idea Vanessa would do such a thing. She sounds horrid."

"Yeah, yeah, big whoop. It's sad but I'm much happier this way." Snatcher brushes off his comment.

"...Do you happen to remember your real name?" Xander asks pensively.

At this question, Snatcher's smile fades and returns to a flat line as he thinks. 

"You forgot your real name, didn't you?" His voice was low as he spoke. "I could give you a human name if you like. Just to make you feel better."

Snatcher sighs and goes along with it, but he tried to keep an eye on the Conductor and DJ Grooves, as well as the kids at the same time. "Sure, knock yourself out, Vanessa look-alike."

"Well, I have no idea what your human form looked like, but if I look like the male version of Vanessa, that was a pretty harsh insult. As for your name," Placing his thumb and index finger and thumb on his chin, Snatcher awkwardly looks to the side as Xander scans his face, "You look like a Louis! Prince Louis, it has a nice ring to it, don't you think, Louis?" Xander laughs and places a hand on Snatcher's ghostly arm.

Snatcher laughs along with him, but surprisingly, he doesn't yank his arm away like last time. He feels a little better talking about his past, almost like this was closure for what happened with Vanessa. "Yeah, yeah I guess it does. Thanks, Xander."

"The pleasure is all mine, Snatcher. I'll try to call my daughter Hat Kid as well, if I can help it."

* * *

Bow Kid watches everything with curious eyes as Hat Kid and Mustache Girl explain what each and every building was used for. The bakery had moldy bread and the cakes looked like some rabid animal got a hold of them, and quite recently. Even when Mustache Girl and Hat Kid made sure to hide if necessary, there wasn't a doubt in their mind that Ophelia was somewhere; watching and waiting for the perfect time to unleash hell on her daughter and her friends.

The castle came into view a little too quickly for their liking, especially since they all realized they should have stayed with the adults and not wander off. DJ Grooves and the Conductor came into view, but they were chatting so much that Bow Kid figured she shouldn't interrupt their conversation. 

"And if we continue here, you'll see that this building used to be an armory used by the soldiers of Sehan." Mustache Girl proudly exclaimed, almost as if she was the one who used to live here.

Bow Kid whispered, "Whoa, look at all these weapons and armors... They're all rusty though." as she looked through all the corroded weaponry.

"They're rusty because they were used by the most elite swordsman's!" Mustache Girl replied back with her arms stretched out wide.

"Actually, those are the weapons that didn't purchased at the armory. This place was actually a completely separate garbage disposal where we would grind up the metal shards and reuse them."

Mustache Girl's eyes widened. "What? You're telling me all these swords were in perfect condition before getting tossed out just because nobody wanted to buy them?"

"That's what I said..." Hat Kid mumbled, nonchalantly.

As Mustache Girl and Hat Kid continued bickering, Bow Kid heard a noise somewhere off in the distance and had her purple eyes search for whatever caused the sound. Making eye contact with a shadowy figure hidden behind the wall of a building, she watched the figure worriedly, almost expecting them to disappear and reappear right next to her. The shadowy figure seemed to read Bow Kid's mind and grinned, then teleported closer to Bow Kid in the blink of an eye.

Bow Kid gasped and began to rummage around in the garbage disposal for any weapon she could find to defend herself with that wasn't falling apart. "Um, guys, something's over there... Watching us." She whispered, and the two of them immediately stopped arguing.

Hat Kid hid behind Mustache Girl, to which the blonde hood-wearing child held her hand. "Bow, come on... It's staring at us." Mustache Girl whispered.

"That's not an "It". Whatever that is must be my mother... Or, whatever's left of her." Hat Kid replied, watching the figure somehow stare at her and her friends all at once.

Bow Kid found a dagger that seemed to be in acceptable condition and came to Mustache Girl's side. "Don't say that like she's a zombie! Where are the others?"

Mustache Girl held Bow Kid's and Hat Kid's hand and proudly stepped up to "Ophelia", but considering how malnourished and dirty she looked, she wondered if the isolation of being trapped here for countless months messed with her head.

The shadowy figure teleported again, closer now, and the three children's eyes went wide and their mouths went agape. Ophelia managed to catch a bit of light in her sunken eyes, and what was left of her tattered dress was sown together using a fabric that was better suited to holding potatoes.

"No clue." Mustache Girl replied, staring down the woman with disgust. "We aren't afraid of you, Ophelia! It's three against one! All we have to do is scream and the others will come running!"

"On the contrary, children, you three seem to be _very_ afraid." Ophelia replied, her voice seemingly echoing off the walls. She was using her magic to make herself seem scarier than she really was, it seemed. Even then, as she strutted towards the three of them with that same old furrowed brow and narrowed eyes, Mustache Girl began to cower with Bow Kid and Hat Kid. "Oh, it would be a shame if something were to happen to one of your new friends, Seraphina." Ophelia twirled her finger and pointed at Bow Kid, who in turn, grasped her dagger closer.

"Leave her alone! I won't let you touch Bow Kid-" Mustache Girl exclaimed. She was interrupted by Ophelia's laughter, and she clenched her teeth in annoyance.

"A kid with a hat, a girl with a mustache, and a kid with a bow. I guess I can call you The Three Adjectives then, since you all have such ridiculous nicknames!"

In the blink of an eye, Ophelia teleported right beside Bow Kid and picked up her up as she thrashed and threw the dagger around. Ophelia said nothing as Bow Kid screamed and cried for Mustache Girl and Hat Kid to help her, but it was too late. Ophelia teleported before Bow Kid could even reach out to grab Mustache Girl's hand, but not before she screamed loud enough to have it resonate off the abandoned walls of the citadel. The dagger clattered to the paved floor and created dust as it settled, but it was useless to Bow Kid since she didn't have it.

Upon hearing the commotion, DJ Grooves and the Conductor came rushing to their aid. "Darlings, what happened? Where's Bow Kid?" "Did Ophelia get her?" The Conductor demanded.

Mustache Girl tried to explain what happened just as Snatcher and Xander arrived to protect them, but they were obviously too late. Xander came to Hat Kid's side and gave her a hug, which she accepted, but didn't hug back. All she could do was stare up at Snatcher and try not to cry. "You're alright, sweetheart. I won't let anything happen to you... We'll get your friend back."

"There's a chance Ophelia took Bow Kid to the throne room." The Conductor said, picking up Bow Kid's dagger and brushing off the dust. "All we have to do is ambush her."

Snatcher grimaced as he thought of having to see Ophelia again, but agreed nonetheless. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's put an end to this once and for all."

* * *

To say that the castle was falling apart was an understatement. To say that this place was a castle was an even bigger understatement. The usually golden and red walls and floors were faded and irreparable beyond compare, but Xander was taking in the worst of it. While everyone simply ran towards their destination to save Bow Kid, Xander tried to take in his ruined home with teary eyes. He sniffled every now and then but he needed to focus on saving his daughter's friend rather than his own depression at the moment.

It took them less than ten minutes, but as soon as Hat Kid arrived in the throne room, her father and friends quickly followed behind with determined looks on their faces. With her blue eyes narrowed, she looked around the room. "Protect my father." She stated.

Xander was placed behind everyone else to shield him from view, but he knew how to fight, he just didn't want to die trying. He hid behind the doors to the throne room, but managed to peek through in case he needed to help them.

It was deserted, save for the queen's throne, all by itself. Out of nowhere, her mother appeared with Bow Kid thrashing and kicking in her arms. Her expression was unreadable from so far away, but anyone could tell she was quite pleased with herself.

"Well well, what do we have here." Everyone's eyes immediately followed the source of the noise. There amongst the fallen debris and dusty castle walls was Ophelia, clutching a terrified Bow Kid in her arms.

Xander immediately unsheathed his dagger and gripped it tightly in his fist.

"If it isn't my _precious_ daughter, Seraphina, back yet again with her pathetic excuses for friends. Need I remind you that I banished you from Sehan for the rest of your life? Your title of princess was revoked, yet you have the _audacity_ to come back... For shame, Seraphina, for shame."

Snatcher got in front of Hat Kid to defend her so she wouldn't have to speak. "You shut your mouth! We're putting an end to this once and for all, right here right now."

The Conductor and DJ Grooves agreed. The Conductor exclaimed, "That's right! Cause we have someone with us that'll rule Sehan better than you ever could!"

DJ Grooves stuttered, "C-Conductor, what are you doing? You'll ruin the plan-"

"Don't just stand there! Help me!" Bow Kid exclaimed, but Ophelia placed a gloved hand to her mouth to silence her scream to nothing more than a muffled jumble of sounds.

"Other than Bow Kid I see that everyone is accounted for. Why? What new friend have you brought along, Seraphina?"

Before Hat Kid could attempt to hide her father even further, Xander opened the door and gripped his dagger tight, half expecting his wife to look exactly the same and incredibly different all at once. Much to his surprise, he stopped dead in his tracks and took in his wife's bewildered expression.

"Ophelia?" Xander whispers.

"Xander? H-How are you alive?" Without even thinking about it, she dropped Bow Kid to the ground, to which the girl immediately got up and ran towards Mustache Girl and Hat Kid to hold them close.

Hat Kid's parents began walking towards one another, slowly at first, but Xander stopped halfway through with his head held high and his fingers tapping against his dagger as his ex-wife continued closing in on him.

"Everything I ever did was for you, my love. Not a day went by where I didn't mourn your death," Ophelia said, intertwining her malnourished hands together, "But that does not mean I'm willing to give up Sehan so easily. You want it? Then take it," A smile began to adorn her lips as she concluded her sentence, "from my cold, dead hands."

"If it's a fight you want, then it's a fight you get, my dear. But just remember," He replies, coaxing his friends to get into a battle stance, "I'm not alone."

Xander was the first to strike at Ophelia, and the others quickly followed with knives and magic at the ready. The Conductor gave Bow Kid her dagger back and Hat Kid got out her bat covered in stickers and twirled it. With everyone going at her at once, Ophelia used the power of the Time Pieces to send down rays of light towards Hat Kid and her friends, but with how malnourished she was, she knew she couldn't win against all of them.

Dodging and attacking were two separate ordeals that she couldn't keep up with all at the same time, so with a heavy heart, she manifested one of the last Time Pieces she kept safe and secret. This one, however, didn't glow blue. It glowed red and was seemingly beginning to crack and break. Everyone stopped attacking as soon as she got out the Time Piece, save for Xander. His eyes narrowed and charged at Ophelia to try and grab the hourglass. "How did you get that? I kept it safe so that you wouldn't find it!"

"Father? What are you talking about?" Hat Kid cried as Ophelia continued to dodge his attacks. "What's so special about that Time Piece?"

Ophelia answered her daughter's question as soon as she dodged another set of Xander's attacks. "This Time Piece has the ability to change forms, rewrite the universe... all I would need to do is break it right here, right now, and we would all be transported to an alternate reality. Each and every one of you will have gotten who you were and you will be given new identities, save for Xander and Seraphina. And now that I've finally got you back," she says, but no one knew if she was saying it to Xander or Seraphina, "I can finally use this Time Piece."

Throwing the Time Piece to the floor, the world around them stops and a bright, blinding light exudes from the hourglass and warps the world around them. Hat Kid shields her eyes from the incoming light, and her friends brace themselves for whatever changes will come their way. Hat Kid heard her mother laughing as the other dimension came into focus, and just as quickly as Ophelia threw the Time Piece to the ground, it regenerated itself back into a red, cracking Time Piece the same as before. 

The bright light finally dispersed, and Hat Kid blinked open her eyes as she looked around. Sehan was back to normal; the castle was back to its former glory, the sky was a brilliant blue, the trees were alive and flourishing, the townsfolk were going about their daily lives, and the ocean and lakes were back to their former selves.

Guards stood watch at the doors, still sporting their golden chest-plates with Time Pieces engraved on them. Ophelia was back to looking much healthier, and her dress was a brilliant golden that shone in the sunlight. Her crown was atop her head and she sighed with her eyes closed, as if she was relieved that she was back to looking like the true queen she was. Xander was the same, with his gold military uniform and purple and yellow top hat, which was obviously Hat Kid's. He was still in a daze from the bright lights, but tried looking around for Snatcher, DJ Grooves, the Conductor, Bow Kid, and Mustache Girl.

Hat Kid felt her hair for her top hat, but as soon as she made contact with her hair, the palm of her hand was jabbed with the pointy end of her tiara. Wincing she brought her hand away and looked down at her clothes. She wasn't wearing her purple shirt or her yellow cape anymore. She was back in her golden gown, and wore white pumps instead of her brown boots. Her hair was at her shoulders instead of her ponytail, and her baseball bat wasn't clutched in her hands. Tears began welling in her eyes; Where were her friends? Why weren't they in the room with her? Where did they go?

Hat Kid was back to being Princess Seraphina, Xander was back to being King Xander, and Ophelia was back to being Queen Ophelia, the perfect royal family of Sehan.

"Ah, doesn't that feel so much better, Seraphina? You're back to your old self; a pretty little princess. Of course, I did age you up a little, pardon me." Ophelia says, before helping her husband to his throne since he was still light on his feet. The intensity of the light stunned him so badly he was worse for wear, but still alive.

"...Aged me up? What are you talking about?" Hat Kid asks, yet surprisingly her vocal cords didn't strain themselves as she spoke. Her mouth went agape and she rushed towards the window and looked up at the sky. The Moon Colony was still on the moon. It wasn't blown to smithereens.

"Guards, I-I need a mirror, right now!" Hat Kid exclaimed, and the guards quickly listened. One of them took a mirror off the wall and handed it to Princess Seraphina, to which she immediately became overwhelmed and dropped it. The glass shattered all around her as she saw her reflection, and her breathing became unsteady as the guards began to pick up the bits and pieces of broken glass. She was thirteen years old; this was the future.

This was an alternate reality where the Moon Colony never killed her father... Hat Kid needed to find out what happened to her friends and _fast._

Taking one last look at her mother, she narrowed her eyes and began running out the door with her hair swaying as she did so. 

"Your bodyguards are waiting for you outside the door!" her mother replied, almost too happily for Hat Kid's liking.

Hat Kid ignored it and threw open the door into the hallway, where her blue eyes widened and her mouth went agape. "No, no. This can't be happening." She mouthed, seeing her two friends salute their princess.

There in the hallway, wearing only the finest golden clothing Sehan could provide, was an aged up Mustache Girl and Bow Kid, wielding golden spears to protect their princess.

"Lady Bonnibel," Bow Kid began, her back incredibly straight.

"And Lady Mu," Mustache Girl continued, still saluting the princess.

Simultaneously, they concluded, "...At your service, Princess Seraphina."


	6. Forgotten Memories and Identities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sehan is back to normal, all at the expense of Hat Kid's friends and family. Hat Kid's friends don't remember their adventures and who they used to be, but for some reason, Snatcher, the Conductor, and DJ Grooves are all human with no recollection of ever being inhuman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Louis is pronounced Lu-iss

Hat Kid had released a breath she didn't know she was holding as soon as Bow Kid, or "Bonnibel", and Mustache Girl, or "Mu", came to their feet and slammed the bottom of their golden spears into the shiny marble floor. Now that the three of them were thirteen years old, their heights had greatly increased, but it was Bonnibel that towered over the two of them, even with their black heeled boots giving them a sense of dignity and an aura of hostility. They were just children a few minutes ago, but now they were aged-up and brainwashed into thinking they were the bodyguards of "Princess Seraphina" and that was their only job.

Even though she was older, Bonnibel still kept her signature afro-style for her hair, especially since her black hair was so curly that the idea of straightening it was definitely out of the question. Incredibly enough, she kept the blue bow around her head, most likely to keep the hair out of the way when she's fighting. Her purple eyes were hidden behind a green visor, and her uniform was much like her father's military attire, only it was green. On the right side of her suit was Sehan's vigil; a Time Piece, but it was nothing more than an hourglass. Her expression was more playful and relaxed than Mu's, almost like the three of them were great friends even though they had a duty to fulfill. Bow Kid seemed to be hiding a smile behind her salute. Bonnibel blinked and exchanged a glance towards Mu, then back to Hat Kid.

On the other hand, Mu was around Bonnibel's height and still sported her ponytails on the right and left side of her shoulders with the blue beads holding them together near the bottom of her hair. Her mustache was still under her nose for some reason, but there was a significant amount of shaving on and around the mustache, almost to the point where it was nonexistent. Of course Ophelia would try getting rid of the mustache with how much of a perfectionist she is, but it seems like the mustache fought back and managed to win in the end. Mu's attire was the same as Bow Kid's, except hers was a deep crimson red instead of a lively green. On the left side of her suit was Sehan's vigil; the Time Piece. Her expression was definitely more determined and serious, especially since she didn't sport a smile. Her eyes didn't even stop narrowing.

"Princess Seraphina, you seem to be a bit pale. Are you alright? Do you need to lie down? We would be honored to carry you to your room in case you faint." Mu stated quickly, her British accent less loud. In fact, it was more solemn and quiet than anything. She was no longer loud or spoke her mind, Ophelia changed her so much that she got an entirely new personality and keeps to herself. Hat Kid's thoughts managed to escape her as she tried to put two and two together, but once she started walking with a spring in her step, her friends followed.

A pair of guards, a male and female, that she passed by saluted their young princess by bringing their fist to their heart and slamming their spears down to the floor with their other hand. Hat Kid looked up at them and nodded in recognition, but she wanted to tell them it wasn't necessary. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't find it in her to brush them off so easily. It wasn't like she didn't appreciate the sentiment, but the fact that they were so aggressive about showing her their loyalty to their future queen was enough to make Hat Kid flinch as soon as the spears made contact with the floor. 

"Princess Seraphina and companions, we are pleased to make your acquaintance. We hope you enjoy the rest of your day and may Sehan survive another day." The guards exclaimed simultaneously, their expressions never changing. Apparently they didn't notice how scared Hat Kid became and continued staring out the window into the lively citadel below. The royal family was nice enough to rotate the hours of certain guards in the castle so that a pair of guards can take breaks or make their way to another part of the castle, but guards always had a view so they weren't staring at a wall all day. They had the opportunity to chat with each other while they were keeping watch as well in order to pass the time.

Mu noticed Hat Kid's response fairly quickly and got out her sword which was being hidden by her trench-coat like outfit. The sword was apparently hidden in a strap around her thigh, so as soon as she unsheathed her sword, she pushed Hat Kid behind her and pointed the sharp end towards the two guards. Hat Kid ended up sucking in a breath as soon as her tiny body was pushed aside and almost fell to the floor. Bow Kid held her up with a sour expression. "Are you alright, Princess?" Bonnibel asks, checking for any bruises and readjusting Hat Kid's slanted tiara. Helping Hat Kid to her feet, Bonnibel brushes off any dirt her princess might have come into contact with and watched her fellow bodyguard make a fool of herself.

"How dare you scare Princess Seraphina like that! She's fragile and too easily startled as of current, so if you want to stay out of the dungeon, I suggest you stop saluting at such an ear-deafening level of sound! If you so much as act out of line, this sword will go straight through your chest!" Mu threatened, and Bonnibel knew she was speaking out of line. "Pardon me, Seraphina." Bonnibel whispers, and Hat Kid is left twiddling her fingers together and avoiding the confrontation altogether.

Bonnibel defensively put up her hands and came to the guard's aid by pushing the sword aside. "Uh, hi, I'm one of Princess Seraphina's bodyguards, how do you do?" She bows and salutes the guards keeping watch, and they do the same with a slight chuckle. "How do you do, Lady Bonnibel? It seems Lady Mu is a bit jumpier than usual today, is she not?"

"Oh! Wow! You remembered our names! Princess, they remembered us, I-" As Bonnibel turned around and tried to make Hat Kid smile, all she could do was furrow her brows together and awkwardly stare down at the ground. They were just kids and they were trying to stand up to adults, so this whole situation was incredibly embarrassing.

Bonnibel and Mu exchanged glances with other, to their princess, and back to the guards. "...Why are you looking at me like that, Bonnibel?" Mu whispers, and Hat Kid makes eye contact with the female guard. She tries to smile and wave a little, and as if to reply, the female bodyguard gives her a wink and a smile. It was the universal sign of "No harm done", at least on Sehan, so Hat Kid felt a little better about her overreaction.

Mustache Girl quickly realizes her mistake and blinks with a shocked expression on her face, "Oh, oh no, Princess Seraphina, I'm so sorry, I... I didn't mean to push you so hard, please forgive me. You're okay, right?" She puts away her sword and tries to search for any bruises or scratches that might have surfaced on Hat Kid's delicate skin.

Hat Kid sighs and begins walking down the hallway, prompting her bodyguards to follow without a second thought. "I'm fine, guys... And I forgive you Mu, don't worry about it. Can we just go already?"

"Sure thing! I, Lady Bonnibel, shall accompany you my dear princess!" Her boots clunked against the floor as she sped up.

"...Ugh, fine... I guess. I, Lady Mu, am grateful to know you forgive me." Her spear was being used as a walking stick, so it hit the ground and created a noise from the force.

Bonnibel laughed and said, "That's good! You know how Mu gets, always worrying about you 24/7. But don't worry! We'll protect you with our lives!" She began walking beside Hat Kid on the right, and Mu began walking beside Hat Kid on her left. 

Hat Kid hid her worried frown from her friends-turned-bodyguards and thought to herself, " _Yeah, well you don't have to protect me with your lives..._ " But didn't say it out loud. She knows her friends mean well, even if they were brainwashed into being her bodyguards.

"We're her bodyguards, so of course we have to worry about her, Bonnibel. She's next in line for the throne so she has to be heavily guarded. So, you're not mad? Really? But you could have been seriously injured!" Mustache Girl replied back, and she crossed her arms in the process. Hat Kid silently waves her hand around in the air as she didn't want to hear anymore talking, and the 

As Hat Kid looked away and found herself staring down the hallway as she continued to walk down the familiar hallways, her eyes caught a figure with an afro walking by wearing large red heels and disappearing into another hallway. He was carrying a microphone, much like the one DJ Grooves always held, so whoever that was must have been a humanized version of the Moon Penguin. Gasping a little, Hat Kid's pace quickened and she found herself following the humanized version of her friend.

"Wha- Hey! Princess, where are you going? We'll come with you-" Bow Kid exclaimed, reaching a hand out in confusion.

"No! Just... Just patrol the hallways or something! I'm busy!" Hat Kid called back, prompting Mustache Girl to roll her eyes. 

"We'll be waiting for you outside your bedroom, Princess!" Mustache Girl called, her voice echoing around the marble hallway.

This could only mean one thing; if DJ Grooves was human, then that meant the Conductor and Snatcher were human as well, which meant she would need to find them and fast. Would Snatcher look like the prince from the storybook? Or would he be someone entirely different? All she had to do was find the rest of her friends and then she and her father could concoct a plan, but it wasn't going to be easy with how strange were right now.

It wasn't like Hat Kid's appearance wasn't any different, aside from the loss of a ponytail and being aged up. In fact, the only thing she enjoyed about this situation was that she was much taller now, even if she was still the shortest amongst Mustache Girl and Bow Kid. It just felt weird knowing that she still had the mentality of a young girl in a thirteen year old's body. Why would her mother age her up? Maybe so Mustache Girl and Bow Kid didn't look ridiculous carrying around huge spears? Or did her mother have other intentions that Hat Kid didn't know about?

...Hat Kid didn't want to think about it too much, but a few ridiculous ideas ran through her mind.

Hat Kid involuntarily cringed and gagged as she continued running to catch up with the energetic humanized version of DJ Grooves, who was surprisingly light on his feet despite wearing heels. He had been singing a tune as he strutted down the hallway, but Hat Kid didn't have time to figure out what song he was mumbling to himself. His attire was almost the exact same, with his blue pants and blindingly red jacket with golden buttons. Even from behind, Hat Kid could tell he still had on his giant star-shaped sunglasses, as well as big bushy eyebrows.

"DJ Grooves! It's me, Hat Kid! Do you recognize me?" Hat Kid pleaded and grabbed his jacket. This ultimately made him stop in his tracks and whirl around to see who tugged on his jacket. 

As he turned around, Hat Kid's suspicions were concluded. He had no clue who "Hat Kid" was, but he certainly knew she was the princess. He had almost the exact same shade of skin color as Bow Kid, but he was definitely a bit darker than her. His smile widened as he put his hands on his somewhat chubby hips, so Hat Kid was glad Queen Ophelia hadn't changed him too much. 

"Hello, darling! Your favorite dancing instructor and dance club owner is here to run a few errands for the castle! How have you been doing? Still practicing your ballet and whatnot?" DJ Grooves asked, and Hat Kid almost breathed out a sigh of relief. Either his nickname was DJ Grooves, or he just happened to be named Grooves by birth. For once in Hat Kid's life since knowing DJ Grooves, she was glad he still found time to practice his dance moves, even while standing in the middle of the hallway of a grand castle.

"B-Ballet? Yeah..." Hat Kid went along with it and nodded, "With your help I'll be a master ballet dancer in no time."

As he began to turn away and wave her goodbye, Hat Kid began walking beside him and tried to keep a smile on her face as she passed by confused guards keeping watch around certain rooms. "Perfect! Well, if that's all we need to talk about then I just I'll just be on my merry way! Toodles, princess, eh- What is it now?" He stopped again and Hat Kid twiddled her fingers together as he titled his head to the side.

"Um, before you leave, I just wanted to ask you one thing! Do you happen to know where the Conductor is? Oh, and Snatcher? I'm in a really big hurry and I have to find them." Hat Kid said, prompting DJ Grooves' eyebrows to furrow in thought. 

"I haven't the darnedest clue as to who Snatcher is, but if you're talking about Conductor Archibald he's probably talking care of that idiotic train of his. He's a locomotive engineer so he doesn't work on the spaceships. I have no idea why you would want to be around a rude loud mouth who berates you every five seconds, but be my guest! He's maintaining Sehan's only locomotive transport somewhere outside of town. The little train station right outside this window, you can't miss it. Just keep going straight and you'll find him. But don't say I didn't warn you if he yells at you for even going near his train without a ticket." 

As DJ Grooves points to the location of the train station not too far away, her smile widens as she realizes it was just past the Wisteria, so she could run straight there if she wanted. Snatcher was the only one left to worry about, so she needed to find him too and see if her suspicions were correct that he was no longer a ghost. "Thanks so much, DJ Grooves! I'll be back soon!"

"Alright, darling! Stay safe out there!" DJ Grooves called back as Hat Kid ran off. As he lowered his hand and his smile wavered, he whispered to himself, "...Odd that she knows that crazy old conductor. Oh well, she'll know to ignore him and his crazy ramblings."

* * *

It took a bit of time to hide from the townsfolk, especially since her golden gown reflected light from the sun, so she shone like a chandelier. Tried as she might, her gown became dirty and ruined by the forest floor since she tried to hide from her subjects, but even then, there was the occasional exclamation of, "Princess Seraphina? Is that you?" and she was driven further and further into the woods by her loyal townspeople. It wasn't like she disliked them, in fact she cared about them more than her mother ever dreamed of, but the fact that the Moon Colony was still up in the sky, bigger and better than ever, it left an uneasy feeling in her gut that she didn't like at all.

All those poor people were living in an alternate dimension where they never made the mistake of killing her father, thus they were never slaughtered by her mother in an act of war. Hat Kid could see spaceships flying to and from the landing dock somewhere on the landing strip near the castle, and that's when the harsh realization set in. Her eyes widened, her eyebrows furrowed, her mouth opened, her hands began digging into to her fluffy brown hair, and she almost screamed, "Oh, peck!"

Where the peck was her spaceship?!

Everything was so hectic now that she was in an alternate reality that her brain ceased to function from the sheer thought of it all that she found herself having a mental breakdown in the middle of the woods. It wasn't like Hat Kid didn't keep walking. She still kept a reasonable pace while making her way to the train station, but her heart was beating so fast she thought she was lose all her energy. Where was her spaceship? Was it parked in a garage somewhere? Was it being maintained?

Did it still _exist?_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a Scottish sounding voice as they were cursing to themselves. Somewhat loud creaking went off in the quiet air as Hat Kid realized that was a train making those noises, and an overworked one to boot. The exhaust pipe coughed out black smoke from the coal being used to power the train, almost like it was trying to move but didn't have the strength to do it from the lack maintenance being done on its gears mechanisms.

Hat Kid saw the humanized version of the Conductor and nearly started bursting out laughing. He was a tall and lanky adult man who had tanned skin from being out in the sun all day, but he dressed head to toe in a black suit and his signature purple tie. His blonde hair stuck out in every direction possible, and seemed to have a spring in his step despite seeming obviously exhausted from working all day on his run-down train. 

"Come on, old girl! You never given up on me before, so why are you doing this to me now?" The Conductor exclaimed, waving his hat around to stave off the black smoke. He began coughing and eventually gave up by leaning on his train and wiping away some sweat on his brow. "Ugh, what am I supposed to do with you, you lousy piece of..."

"Excuse me, Conductor Archibald? Can I speak to you for a moment?" Hat Kid exclaimed as she ran out of the forest. She knew her dress was worse for wear and her hair stuck to her sweaty head from walking so long, but on the bright side she didn't look as bad as the Conductor or "Archibald" now that he was a human. Hat Kid sported her sweetest smile she could put on at the moment and stared up at the Conductor, who in turn, tightened his grip on his hat and mustered up the courage to speak.

"P-P-P-Princess? What are you doing at the train station? You look almost as horrible as me, ehehehehe-" Hat Kid didn't laugh as the Conductor's laughter trailed off, "Ah, ahem, well, since you're here I may as well tell you about my baby." The Conductor said, putting his cap back on his head and beckoning with his hand for Hat Kid to follow. Kicking off her ruined black pumps, Hat Kid followed the Conductor with a skip in her step.

Hat Kid tilted her head to the side, and looked up at the large and looming train above her. It wasn't exactly the same as the train from his Old Western movies, but the Conductor loved trains, so it didn't matter what type of train it was. "This is your... baby?" She asks, narrowing her eyes a little. Hat Kid tried peaking through the windows and noticed that the seats were made of red leather, and a green rectangular carpet was slightly visible on the floor. Empty compartments near the ceiling were on either side of the train. Their main purpose was to hold luggage and items belonging to the passengers.

"That's right, princess! I take care of this old thing night and day, even if barely anyone decides to use it anymore. Your mum was kind enough to give my train station funding to keep it up and running." The Conductor replied, scratching his beard stubble. He began coughing again once the train spewed out smoke, and he rushed to fix the exhaust pipes with narrowed eyes. "Darn thing, quit breaking down!"

"Why do we need a train station if almost everyone rides in a hovercraft?" Hat Kid asks as she watches him continue to fix his train. His hands were greasy from working in such an unstable and unsanitary environment, but he needed to make a living taking people around Sehan, so he had to fix it. Plus he enjoyed trains, which was a plus in his book. Slumping against the train and pulling out a bottle of some kind of alcoholic beverage, he began chugging down the liquid and stared at Hat Kid with his head tilted to the side.

"People take my train when they're too afraid to fly. Apparently a lot of the people who live on Sehan isn't used to spaceships and flying thingamajigs, so your mum made it my duty to take those who are unable to fly in their own personal ships and give them the ability to spend a nice, relaxing journey on my train. Ugh, but this thing doesn't want to move after being used so often. Tell your royal advisor to grant me another loan and this train will be up and running soon enough, please lass? I know the royal family has more than enough money to go around." The Conductor said, grinning to himself. He took another swig of alcohol and waved at Hat Kid. "Why don't you go make yourself scarce, p-princess? I'm just gonna sit here for awhile." 

Hat Kid twiddled her hands together as she watched the Conductor lower his head to the ground, his blue eyes staring into nothingness. A cool breeze whipped through the air, causing the Conductor's blonde hair to flying about, but he paid it no mind. Additionally, she still couldn't get over the fact that none of her friends remembered who they once were. Now, they just seemed to be shells of their former selves, aside from their voices. Getting back on her shoes, she risked making eye contact with the frazzled looking Conductor by looking over her shoulder, but he didn't stare back.

"I hope you fix your train, Archibald. I'll make sure to tell the royal advisor you want a loan to get it up and running again. By the way, um..." Hat Kid says as the Conductor slowly raises his head. "Don't tell anyone I was out here, okay?"

The Conductor laughs and begins to admire the sunset. "Don't worry lassie, you're secret is safe with me."

* * *

It took quite awhile to get back to the castle without anyone noticing or growing suspicious, but as soon as she managed to silently close the doors to the lavish garden, she began walking down the hallway leaving a trail of mud and leaves behind. "Peck-" Hat Kid whispered as she slipped off her black pumps and threw them back outside. Walking down the lavish hallway decorated in large chandeliers, she tried to find her way back to her room as quietly as possible, but as she turned a corner, she was met with a brown haired and brown eyed man who was carrying some highly classified papers in one hand and a fountain pen in the other.

His outfit was definitely the same as the prince from the storybook about "The Tale of Queen Vanessa" so Hat Kid put two and two together very quickly. Hat Kid's intuitions were correct; Snatcher, being the ghost that he was, was turned back into a human and became the royal advisor for Sehan. The only thing Hat Kid didn't expect was for Snatcher to look so silly as a human, especially since his brown hair looked unkempt and wavy. His expression changed from confusion to curiosity as the young princess came to a stop and tried brushing off the dirt and mud that managed to sink into her priceless dress. She tried to smile, but the humanized version of Snatcher already began acting like a babysitter. 

"Princess Seraphina? Where have you been? We've been worried sick! Oh, look at your dress, it's practically in tatters! Your bodyguards didn't keep an eye on you? Goodness, here, let's put you in something clean." He put away his papers into his pocket and put the cap back on the fountain pen, then placed it back into his pocket as he presumably led Hat Kid back to her room to get changed, but she couldn't hide the surprise of hearing Snatcher's human voice for the first time. His voice no longer had a low, gravelly sound to it, in fact, his voice was nice to the ears and quiet, like he was awkward without really meaning to be. It was a shame Snatcher wasn't as caring as his human form was, but Hat Kid could learn to live without his kindness.

"W-Wait, you're Louis? ...And I was just outside for a few hours! It wasn't like I came back with a broken bone, so I don't know what the big deal is." Hat Kid replied as he began laughing. 

"Hm? Oh, where are my manners? Yes, I'm Louis. I'm the advisor to the royal family. That being said, I'm in charge of giving advice to your father for his war tactics, I'm in charge of the distribution of money and the collector of taxes, and, in your case, I'm both your babysitter and one of your bodyguards. On weekends I spend my time as a librarian and, unfortunately for you, I teach you how to run a kingdom while your parents are busy." Louis replied, or as far as Hat Kid was concerned, this was the prince of the Subcon Forest, brought back to life and brainwashed into thinking he was someone else. 

This was supposed to be Snatcher, her contractually bound BFF turned boring "royal advisor". As if this day couldn't get any worse, Louis continued, "Oh, and you should get your rest. I have a class for you tomorrow on the stock exchange among planets. Make sure to wake up bright and early, Seraphina!"

"Ugh, fine... But, you don't have any recollection of someone named Snatcher? You know? Big purple ghost with a Jack O'Lantern face? He kinda looks like a noodle and he steals souls? That doesn't ring any bells for you? Oh! Oh, by the way, Conductor Archibald needs another loan for his train station." Hat Kid asks as they round another corner. She closes her eyes and sighs as soon as she see's not only Mu and Bonnibel, but her mother and father were both standing at her bedroom door as well. 

Noticing King Xander, Queen Ophelia, Mu, and Bonnibel, Louis takes it upon himself to whisper in Hat Kid's ear, "I'll get it done. Is Snatcher your imaginary friend? Princess, I don't mean to be rude, but we've talked about this once before. You're too old to have an imaginary friend. I'm sorry, but I have to take my leave."

As Hat Kid and Louis made their way to the king and queen, without thinking they began nervously twiddling their thumbs side by side, even if Louis was an adult, and near the same size as her father. King Xander was back to being healthy and no longer light on his feet, especially since the moment he saw Snatcher's human form his usually stern and plain expression turned into shock and disbelief. He silently looked to his wife and back to Louis and his daughter, then put his hands behind his back to maintain his majestic image. Anyone other than Louis could tell that Xander seemed to be a bit flustered from Louis's appearance, but he smiled to himself nonetheless and looked to the ground.

It didn't take long before Mu and Bonnibel ran up to Hat Kid and asked her where she had been since she left, all while picking out leaves and sticks from her hair and clothes. There was no way to salvage her gorgeous dress, so the only thing left to do was throw it away.

"Where have you been? We've been worried sick! And look at your dress! Aw, it was one of my favorites." Bonnibel grumbled, continuing to fix Hat Kid's hair.

"Never mind the hair, Bonnie!" Mu exclaimed, using Bonnibel's nickname, "Where have her shoes gone?! Our princess probably had to walk home without shoes!"

Queen Ophelia spoke up with a swish of her hand and a sway of her hips. "That's enough, girls. Go give her a bath and put her in decent clothes, please. And _don't_ let her out of your sight. She's sneaky like that."

Mu and Bonnibel saluted their queen and bowed. "Yes, Queen Ophelia. Have a good night." 

Hat Kid's eyes narrowed towards her mother, to which the queen smiled a little in triumph. Hat Kid's father sighed and put a hand on his wife's shoulders, prompting Hat Kid to look up at him with an exhausted look on her face. "Good night, sweetheart. We'll talk in the morning."

Bowing before the king and queen, Louis closes his eyes and says, "Long live the planet of Sehan." as Mu and Bonnibel wrap their arms around the princess and give her another hug while asking how hot she wanted her bath water to be. It wasn't long before Bonnibel opened the door to Hat Kid's room and pulled her inside with Mu following close behind, most likely to get her out of the tattered dress and into soft pajamas after a nice, warm bath. With how tired Hat Kid had become, she didn't fight it very much, and Xander frowned once he and his daughter made eye contact just before Mu closed the door.

Queen Ophelia crosses her arms and stares down at Louis, knowing full well this used to be Snatcher, the purple ghost who used to agitate her almost every single second since the day she met him. And now here he was, a harmless shell of his former self, _bowing_ before her without any idea as to why. Her lips formed a smile and she nods back at him. "What exactly did you whisper to my daughter while you were walking down the hallway?"

"O-Oh, nothing much. Just, you know... She asked me if I knew anyone named Snatcher! Apparently he's a purple ghost with a Jack O'Lantern face." Louis exclaimed.

King Xander bit his tongue and looked down at the ground with furrowed brows and almost felt the need to grab him by the shoulders and tell Louis that he was actually Snatcher, just in human form. Queen Ophelia, on the other hand, unknowingly stopped smiling and put on a very bored face. "Oh... Anyway, about those papers I gave you? Did you confirm the supplies were to be distributed to the Moon Colony like I asked?" 

Louis got to his feet and fumbled with his coat pocket for the papers. They were folded up nicely and placed in an envelope for safe-keeping, and Louis handed it to Queen Ophelia. "Ah, perfect. Thank you, Louis. That's all I needed from you..." She turns on her heels and proceeds to make her way to the mail room, "Oh, and I hope you haven't forgotten, Seraphina needs her economics lesson tomorrow. Don't forget."

King Xander watches on as his wife _knows_ that she won against her daughter and her friends, and his heart skips a beat as Louis' shoulder brushes against the king's arm.

Louis stands at Xander's side, giving the queen a wave as she walked off. "Don't worry! I'll make sure to teach her well!"

Now alone in the hallway, Louis gives the king another small bow and begins walking in the opposite direction to get some necessary rest. As he starts to walk down the hallway, Xander stops him by saying, "Wait... How about we walk together, Louis? We can discuss some books you've been reading."

"Oh, well, I'm not against it, sire, but are you talking about political matters or-"

"No, I was asking about any books you've been reading for fun." Xander replies, giving the guards a nod as they salute.

Louis' brown eyes widen and a smile adorns his face. "Really? I've never been asked that before, at least, not by you, wow! Okay, it's going to sound silly, but I've been reading up on lawyer practices. If I'm going to be a royal advisor I should be skilled a lot of things!"

"I think you've missed the point of the question, ahaha... Any books you've been enjoying? You know, not for work, but for fun?"

"Hm, I do enjoy storybooks... But you probably don't want to hear about childish stories."

"On the contrary, I would love to hear about one."

"...Have you heard of The Tale of Queen Vanessa?"

Xander's stomach dropped. Apparently even the storybooks in this alternate dimension were changed. "I'm afraid I haven't. Do tell, Louis."

"Well, there's a prince and a princess, and they love each other very much..."

Their lively conversation carried on through the night.


	7. Downpour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Queen Ophelia, King Xander, and Hat Kid have a dramatic breakfast that involves a lot of arguments. Additionally, Louis tries his best to teach Seraphina how to be a princess again, but she falls asleep. Alone, Xander and Louis get to know each other better in the library.

It was pouring rain the next day, and Hat Kid groaned to herself as soon as she realized this alternate reality wasn't just a dream. Her bed-sheets and pillows were warm and comfortable against the cold morning weather, but even with her freshly washed hair and nightgown, Hat Kid still couldn't believe that this entire bedroom must have been covered in impenetrable dust and cobwebs, the likes of which no one has ever seen. But her room was exactly the same as she left it many years ago, save for a few new paintings hanging on her bedroom wall, as well as a large bookcase and an extra dresser for her clothes.

A desk with a few articles scattered here and there instructed the young princess on how to rule a kingdom, but it was all nonsensical gibberish with words such as "Embargo's with other planets" or "Sehan's deficit crisis/spending" or even "Pollution in our solar system caused by hover-crafts" and so on. A small purple post-it note was attached to the files, and in small, scribbled writing, he wrote, "Make sure to study these subjects, princess! We will be learning them today!"

Hat Kid didn't bother to touch the documents, let alone brush through them for her "class" today. None of those things mattered to her, at least not right now. The only thing she enjoyed was getting to see "Snatcher" again, even if he was in his human form. Louis would never say it, but something told Hat Kid that he didn't trust Queen Ophelia whatsoever, especially with the sudden disappearance of Hat Kid's spaceship.

Once her father was back into power, she would be more than happy to lead Sehan when she was older, but for now, her top priority was overthrowing her mother out of queendom. 

Since Xander was of noble-birth and not of royal-birth, Ophelia was the go-to ruler considering she was crowned queen at such an early age and married Xander into the royal family.

Hat Kid never knew her grandparents, but from what her mother said, they were nice people and nothing in the world would ever keep them apart.

"It's such a shame you never got to meet my parents," Hat Kid's mother told her at one point in her life, but she had no idea when, "Even in death, they were together! I hope you find love like that someday... I know I have."

Now that Hat Kid gave it more thought, the way her mother worded that sentence was definitely suspicious... Maybe a little too suspicious.

A split second of lightning which was visible through the window was followed by a sudden clap of thunder not long after, and Hat Kid groaned to herself. She wanted to sleep, not listen to a thunderstorm. There was a bench on the balcony that was getting soaked with rain water, so even if she wanted to sit down, the rainwater would drench her head-to-toe and she would need to dress in yet another article of clothing.

And what's worse is that she was grounded from going outside after she disappeared from the castle for only a few hours, so even if she wanted to leave, she had to have Mu and Bonnibel with her to keep her "safe" but Hat Kid could take care of herself.

Wait a minute, she didn't have her weapons or her hats.

Hat Kid's eyes shot open as she looked over at the dresser in some silent hope that somehow, just maybe, some of her hats would be sitting there awaiting to be used, but she sighed through her nose as soon as she realized that a few decorations and jewelry were the only things she could see through the darkness.

No matter how hard she looked for her umbrella or her bat, as well as her multiple hats and her badges, they were nowhere to be found. Her mother got rid of them all as soon as they were warped into this alternate reality, so even if Hat Kid wanted to fight her mother, she would have to go in empty-handed. All she needed to do was find that strange red Time Piece and revert her friends back to their original forms and change Mu's, Bonnibel's, and her own age back to being that of a child; but it certainly wasn't going to be easy.

And to make things worse, Hat Kid still couldn't get over the fact that she was thirteen, nor could she understand why Mu and Bonnibel had no problem accepting their new ages, but that was debunked not long after Hat Kid realized that aside from her father and her mother, every single one of Hat Kid's friends were brainwashed into thinking they lived on Sehan all their lives and transformed into humans in the process. Any recollection of Mafia Town, the Subcon Forest, or the Movie Studio was seemingly drilled out of their minds and replaced with what Queen Ophelia _thought_ they wanted to do. 

Would it be easier to just tell her friends that everyone was from an alternate dimension? It would be quite a shock, that's for sure, but if they knew they could go back to being their _real_ selves, then perhaps they might just listen to Hat Kid.

...Now that she thought about it, would they hate her knowing all the trouble and harm she's caused them? Although, they chose to come along on this adventure to put her father back into power, but instead, they got way more than they bargained for. It was a win-lose situation, so she had no other choice but to accept fate.

If it wasn't for that relic she would have never gone to Sehan in the first place...

If it wasn't for the Conductor, she and her friends would have never gone to Sehan in the first place.

...No.

She wasn't going to blame the Conductor for sending them back. It wasn't his fault; he just found a way to input the correct password to make the spaceship go back to Sehan... somehow. But it wasn't like he meant to do it.

A soft knock on her white door interrupted her thoughts and made her look over with tired blue eyes. An equally tired voice spoke to her on the other side and yawned as they spoke. "Princess Seraphina, are you awake? It's morning." It was Bonnibel, one of her bodyguards.

"May we come in, princess? We need you to get ready for the day, despite it being incredibly gloomy." Mu, her other bodyguard, asked right after Bonnibel, followed by a yawn as well. It seems she was fighting her exhaustion, but it only made it worse.

Hat Kid groaned into her pillow as soon as Mu unlocked the door using she kept on her at all times, and the light from the castle hallway lit up her normally dark room. Mu and Bonnibel tried to smile despite the continuous thunderstorm going on right outside Hat Kid's window, but even with the curtains closed and the windows shut and locked, the sound wasn't muffled in the slightest. Blinking her blue eyes in order to readjust, she sat up in bed and sleepily watched Bonnibel trudge in after Mu, and used her golden spear as a walking stick to keep from falling over. 

"What time is it, Mu?" Hat Kid asks as she pulled the covers off her body. Standing to her feet to get her clothes on, she shuffled over to the dresser to pick out a warm dress that wasn't too luxurious for the day ahead. If she wanted to escape this alternate reality, she couldn't waste anymore time lying around in bed, but there was that stupid class she had to attend, so her entire day will be spent wasting her time on it.

"Early morning, at best." Mu and Bonnibel replied simultaneously, but Bonnibel continued the sentence while Mu got some soft towels from a dresser, "Why don't you take a shower and we'll be waiting for you out here, Princess Seraphina?"

Hat Kid's fingers curled into a fist as she picked up the purple and gold dress better suited to keeping the wearer warm despite cold weather, and hung it over her arm as she made her way to the bathroom to freshen up. "Fine..."

* * *

Sitting on stool with her backed hunched over, Hat Kid stared at her thirteen year old self with narrowed eyes and a tilted head, almost like she couldn't believe she was staring back at her own reflection rather than a real person. The dress she picked out was just the right size and kept her warm and cozy with ease, but it was itchy around the stomach so she found herself scratching and pulling at the fabric with a grumble.

Mu spoke up as she opened a drawer and took out a hairbrush, "You might be able to make it just in time for brunch, but your parents have been waiting for you. We sincerely apologize for not waking you up earlier, but we figured you needed your rest after getting lost and returning so late yesterday, now just hold still..." Bringing the hairbrush to Hat Kid's tangled hair, Mu began untangling Hat Kid's messy brown hair and made it more silky and elegant for the day to come.

Hat Kid winced as Mu pulled out some hair, but Mu only told her to hush and continued brushing. Everything was going just fine until Mu mentioned food, and Hat Kid's stomach began to growl, prompting a giggle from Bonnibel. 

Bonnibel, on the other hand, gathered her shoes and tiara for her princess and came to her side just as Mu finished brushing Hat Kid's hair and fluffing it out. Placing the new flat shoes onto the ground, Hat Kid slipped them on with ease and watched Bonnibel put on the tiara with a smile on her face. "There! All done! Now go on and get some breakfast with your family, then we'll return in order to take you to the library to study what Louis wants to teach you."

Mu collected the documents that laid untouched on the desk, and Hat Kid's tired eyes immediately widened in shock. She didn't study at all, so there was no way for her to pay the slightest attention in Louis' class. But Bonnibel did say Louis was going to teach her these unimportant subjects, so she should be just fine... for now anyway. "Did... you two eat?" Hat Kid asks Mu and Bonnibel worriedly.

Glancing at one another for a moment, Mu stares back at her princess and shrugs. "No, we eat when the royal family eats. That's always been the rules. Your mother is very strict in enforcing them."

Hat Kid's eyes softened as soon as Bonnibel nodded sheepishly. "Well, let's eat then."

Mu and Bonnibel bowed and followed their princess to the dining hall where two guards stood in the doorway, then opened the door to the dining hall.

Another flash of lightning lit up the hallway and the thunder followed soon after, almost frightening Hat Kid out of her skin by the deafening noise alone. The rain was just fine, she actually enjoyed it, but she could do without a thunderstorm on her first day back to a planet she hated.

It was almost too cliche, since the two guards opened the dining hall doors just as Hat Kid made eye contact with her mother, or maybe her mother made the thunderstorm in the first place with the power of the Time Piece she harnessed not long ago. Regardless, Hat Kid tried to put on a smile as she made her way to the table as soon as the doors shut behind her, and she was alone with her family. "Oh, there's my pretty girl. Did you have a nice rest, Seraphina? I'm sure you have a lot of questions, right?" Her mother asks as she begins cutting into a piece of a pancake. The pancakes were stacked by three.

There was a bowl of freshly cut fruit salad beside the pancakes, and a fried egg was in its own separate plate. Their drinks for the morning were all different; with Ophelia's being tea brewed from the finest leaves the kingdom could grow, Xander's being coffee with a little bit of sugar and milk and brewed with only the finest coffee beans, and Seraphina's being a caramel flavored bubble tea, complete with little tapioca pearls at the bottom. 

Hat Kid would have been foaming at the mouth had it not been for the nervousness she felt in her stomach after finally seeing her mother healthy again despite beating her in a battle not to long ago and literally leaving her on a dilapidated planet to die of starvation and loneliness all alone. Yet despite the odds, she survived... and won. Despite all their planning and worrying, Hat Kid and her friends lost everything.

Hat Kid's father, on the other hand, barely touched his food and mainly stuck to his coffee and egg, but he picked at the fruit salad and pancake with a glazed look in his eyes. He continued to look down at his food, not wanting to take into account that he was sitting beside the woman who actually _harmed_ his daughter; in an alternate reality of course. But he still couldn't contain the rage building up inside him whenever Ophelia flashed that fake smile she always made whenever she pretended to like someone, and this was definitely one of those moments. He folded his hands together and blinked his green eyes as soon as Hat Kid sat down on the chair at the table.

"Am I going to be asking the questions or will I be listening to you talk more than usual?" Hat Kid stated plainly as she looked up at her mother. She took a drink from the bubble tea and savored the taste, but she had to keep her cool around her mother, and had to protect her father in case anything bad began to happen.

Her mother's brows raised upwards as she took a sip of her tea and watched the rain continue to fall over the window, creating little tapping sounds. "Hm..."

The silence was deafening and no one found it in them to speak about what exactly went down in the throne room before the whole "alternate reality" fiasco started, but Hat Kid found the corner of her mouth raising into a smile as soon as her father began to speak with a sneer. "I want you to know that what you did to my daughter's friends is inexcusable. And what's even worse is that you think that changing the past can keep Seraphina here on this miserable planet. Don't you have any shame, Ophelia?"

"It's not like I killed _our_ daughter's friends. They're still very much alive, I just gave a little humanity in order to live on Sehan without rousing any suspicion amongst our people. Also, mind you, Xander, but are you suggesting that keeping the Moon Colony alive is a bad thing? I gave those people the ability to live, even after killing you in another dimension. You should be thanking me," Ophelia took a few bites of the fruit salad, seemingly still hungry from being isolated on Sehan for so long, "Had I not let by gone's be by gone's, the Moon Colony would have never existed..." She tilted her head to the side and began using the fork to en-circulate her daughter's face from across the table, "...Another part of me wanted to make it so that you never existed, Seraphina... That none of your friends existed... It would have just been Xander and I."

Hat Kid stopped cutting her pancake as soon as she heard what her mother said. Her blue eyes widened as she stared down at the tablecloth, and she couldn't tell if either her heart stopped or skipped a beat. Regardless, as much as she tried to make it seem like no big deal, the words still stung and she continued cutting into the pancake while trying to blink away tears. "...I should have left you on Sehan a little longer and we would have come back to your rotting corpse." Hat Kid grumbled, and Ophelia slammed her fist against the table, causing the utensils to create noise against the ceramic plates. 

"What are you going to do once you find that red Time Piece, huh?" Queen Ophelia asked her daughter as soon as she put the palm of her hand against her cheek and balanced her elbow against the table. Ophelia didn't touch her food now that she was arguing with her daughter. "Do you want me to answer your questions or leave you wondering? I can refuse any and all questions you have for me, Seraphina." 

"Ophelia, that's enough!" Xander shouted as he stood to his feet. His blonde hair was unkempt and swept to one side, almost like he could barely sleep last night. "I want you to answer every single question my daughter has for you, and you're going to do it without hesitation-"

" _Our_ daughter, my dear, sweet-"

"No, no. I heard about what you did to the Moon Colony. I heard about what you did to Seraphina... To our people... I don't want anything to do with you anymore, Ophelia! Enough is enough! Hat Kid and I wanted to overthrow you as soon as we stepped foot on Sehan. Even Snatcher is a better person than you would ever dream of being! I am so sick of you trying to control people for your own selfish gain!"

Another clap of thunder rang out in the distance and the rain poured down even harder, almost like it was trying to break the windows with its force. Hat Kid looked outside with her mouth halfway open in surprise and continued to chew her breakfast in silence as her parents kept arguing. She still couldn't get over the fact that her mother had the chance to get rid of her and didn't follow through with it. Her own mother put Hat Kid's life into her hands and only kept Hat Kid alive so she could brag about finally getting her kingdom back at the expense of everything Hat Kid has ever known.

"If it wasn't for me and the power of the Time Pieces, Sehan would have taken ages to rebuild the buildings and regrow the plants. The water would be almost impossible to make drinkable again, let alone livable for the wildlife. And by the way, that Snatcher fellow, you seemed to have grown soft around him... I don't like it. So, before you start blaming me for these horrible things I've done," She places her free hand on Xander's arm and forces him back onto the chair, "Let me give you a viable reason first."

Hat Kid's father is enraged, discouraged, and betrayed by his own wife. He took another sip of his coffee and stared down at the tablecloth with his back perfectly straight, but anyone could tell he wanted to punch something; preferably Ophelia.

"Now, Seraphina-" Ophelia started, and Hat Kid blinked and took a bite of the pancake without even looking up.

"It's Hat Kid." She stated matter-of-factually, and her father smiled a little as he picked at his fruit salad.

Complying, her mother sighed out, " _Hat Kid_ , I'm sure you have a list of questions you're going to bombard me with almost immediately, so why don't you get on with it and then you can go to class with Louis? Sound good?"

Shuffling in her seat, Hat Kid takes another sip of the bubble tea and nods without meeting her mother's eyes. She wants her hair-tie back... she hates having her hair down.

"What would you like to know first?" Her mother asks as she takes a sip of tea.

Hat Kid gave this some thought, but there would always be time for certain questions. "Why did you age me up to thirteen years old? Why not just keep me as the young girl I once was?"

Ophelia nods and looks over at Xander, as if he was also expecting the answer to that question. "Well, you probably already realized this, but Mu and Bonnibel would have looked pretty ridiculous wielding giant spears at the same age as you. So, to make things easier I just aged up all three of you and now you're having classes on Sehan's history and infrastructure. It's not for any arranged marriages, if that was what you were thinking." She winks.

Xander replies sternly, "My daughter will not be forced to marry a prince she's never met. Hat Kid, don't worry, I'll find a way to reverse your age, as well as the ages of your friends."

"Thanks, father..." She mumbles as she tries to enjoy her breakfast. The rain would have definitely been calming had it not been for all this arguing.

"Ahem, moving on..." Ophelia says as she cuts the fried egg in half, "Next question."

"Where's my spaceship? And the Time Pieces? Are they both safe? Please tell me they're both safe-" Involuntarily, Hat Kid looks up and furrows her brows together as her mother rolls her eyes across the room and towards the window. 

"Your spaceship is kept safe and all the Time Pieces are inside the vault; safe and sound. I already got what I wanted, so the Time Pieces are worthless to me. All I wanted was to bring your father back to life and restore Sehan back to its former glory. I wanted my family back, and I allowed you to keep the friends you made along the way. They still love you, they're just different people now."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Hat Kid nods and continues eating her breakfast. Her spaceship and her Time Pieces still existed; so she didn't have to worry about that anymore. 

"...Do you have anymore questions, Seraphina? Or will you try to go to your class now with Louis?" Ophelia asks, taking one final sip of tea and sighing.

Frowning, Hat Kid finishes her breakfast and looks up at her father, who looked equally as distraught. He hardly touched his food from the moment he sat at the table. The only thing he managed to wolf down was the coffee, but even then, it didn't look like he really enjoyed the taste of it.

"Do you enjoy making our lives miserable? Do you know how much it hurt to have you strangle me so hard it damaged my vocal cords? Do you ever regret doing the things you've done to father and I? Are you proud of yourself knowing you've finally won... And that I'm starting to give up?" Hat Kid asks as she gets off the chair and stands to her feet. 

Ophelia smiled a little and began answering each question one at a time, "I do... I have no idea how much it must have hurt but there's no point in dwelling on the past now... I regret some things, but this alternate universe is most definitely not one of them... And yes, I am severely proud of myself knowing I won against you and your sorry excuses for friends. Had it not been for you, they would have been disposed of-"

"Quit talking! I'm so sick of hearing your shrill voice degrading my daughter every time she finds it in her to speak to you. This breakfast is over. Hat Kid, get to class. Ophelia, I'm going to do something important." Xander gets up and storms out of the room without another word, then slams the door behind him.

Still confused as to where exactly her father was going, Ophelia speaks up as she talks another bite of the fruit salad. "Instead of standing there gawking at your father's temper tantrum you should be getting to class."

"...Don't tell me what to do." Taking a few more bites of her breakfast, Hat Kid watches the rain continue to fall as she makes her way to the dining room exit and is welcomed by Mu and Bonnibel as they make their way down the hallway.

With her husband and her daughter gone, Ophelia is all alone at the dining table and a sad smile is adorning her lips. "I should have never had you, Seraphina... Look at all the trouble you're causing me. I guess I'll have to get rid of you myself, eventually."

* * *

With a wave of their hands, Mu and Bonnibel left their princess in front of the library doors and kept watch like the good bodyguards they were. Barely prepared for her first lesson in Sehan's history and government, Hat Kid opened the library doors and saw Louis straightening the tables and chairs into desks that looked like a little classroom despite Hat Kid being the only student in his class. Hat Kid forgot about how large the grand library was, but to say it was larger than her spaceship was an understatement. 

Book upon book from Sehan's authors adorned the everlasting shelves of the library, and it was of no surprise that Snatcher spent most of his time in here, even as a humanized version of himself. After the argument at breakfast, Hat Kid felt a little better knowing that Snatcher's eccentric personality found its home in Louis, even if he had no idea that he was a prince from the Subcon Forest. With his back turned towards the library doors, he continued to fix the projector for the lesson he prepared for the princess, unbeknownst to the fact that Hat Kid had little to no idea what embargo or deficit meant.

Regardless, as he heard the doors click shut and echoed, he looked over his shoulder and immediately grinned towards the princess, who was too busy staring up at all the books and extravagant decor, furniture, and designs made especially for the library. Hat Kid didn't know how many books were kept safe in this library, but Hat Kid knew it was quite a lot considering not a single shelf was left empty. "Princess Seraphina? Are you ready for your lesson?" Louis asked as he clasped his hands together.

Breaking her attention away from the library, Hat Kid tried to smile and takes a seat in one of the desks as Louis watched on. "I'm ready to learn about Sehan, Louis." Hat Kid said sarcastically, but she was glad that Louis at least tried to be a teacher, even if he was a ghost turned royal advisor. 

"Well, that's just wonderful, princess! I hope your breakfast tasted good since I made the the cooks make one of your favorites. You seemed distraught yesterday so I thought I might cheer you up. You know how your mother gets when she and your father argue... um," Louis saw Hat Kid's smile curl into a frown and immediately stopped talking, "Right, we should have class now. Forgive me if I spoke out of line. Let's begin class."

Huffing as Louis turned on the projector, Hat Kid already became bored out of her mind and stared down at the documents on her desk that would help her learn about her home-planet. There were some pictures, but they were in black and white and Hat Kid didn't want to look at graphs.

"Alright, so, Sehan and its moons is a planet that was given to us by the Grand Counsel many years ago, but have long been dispersed, so now the royal family protects and rules over Sehan with love and care for its people... But! Every single source of food, water, and shelter we provide for our citizens must be earned-" 

It wasn't long before Hat Kid blocked out this lesson and stared at the rain hitting the windows, all while Louis's back was turned. Drifting off, Hat Kid continued to watch the rain and heard the sound of thunder way off in the mountains, then quickly fell back asleep on top of the piles of papers littering her desk.

* * *

"...And that, Princess Seraphina, is why Sehan's scientists are working to create environment friendly hover-crafts and spaceships so that we don't disrupt the stratosphere- Seraphina? Were you asleep this whole time?!" Louis exclaimed as his brows furrowed together, and his voice had a hint of disappointment in them. He wouldn't dare shake her awake and argue with her, especially since his job ~~and his life~~ was on the line and she looked like she needed the sleep the moment she walked into the library.

"Hm?" Hat Kid's head shot off the desk and she straightened her back as she stretched and yawned. She didn't even notice that she drooled on the papers, which ended up smearing the ink and ruining the words. "Oh... yeah, I guess I did. I heard the last part though, something about like...? Hover-crafts and spaceships ruining the stratosphere which is the air we breathe so to counter it our scientists are creating new ships that can recycle the air and distribute it back into the stratosphere without any complications? Something like that?" 

Louis scratched the bridge of his nose and opened his mouth to speak. "Do you remember anything else? Take a look at your notes, kiddo." His voice was lower and less awkward than usual, which even surprised himself.

Something inside of Hat Kid's head made her sleepiness leave her body immediately. Instead of calling her something formal such as "princess" or her own name, Louis called her "kiddo". Which was Snatcher's nickname for Hat Kid. Louis didn't give it much thought, but he instantly regretted it the moment she put on a smug grin and looked down at her notes. She couldn't tell him she drooled on the papers, so she came up with a lie that seemed believable. "...I can't read them... I guess the rain must have made its way through the roof and fell onto the papers and smeared the ink, Louis."

Face-palming as Hat Kid spoke, he sighs and turns off the projector. "Princess Seraphina, I understand that you don't want to learn about Sehan's history, but please try to understand that you are going to be the queen one day... You are thirteen years old now, so no more slacking off as if you are a child. Alright? No more sleeping in class, I don't get paid for this you know, and I'm putting aside other important duties to be teaching you all about Sehan's history just so you can learn from other ruler's mistakes."

The rain was beginning to finally let up, but she could tell that it was going to be a long time before anyone was going to go out in such horrible weather by their own volition. "...Does that mean I'm free to go?" Hat Kid asks hopefully, as she shuffles her way out of the chair. Despite being thirteen, she was still quite small and skinny.

Louis laughed to himself and gathered some papers from a pile as he handed them to her. "Fine, class is dismissed. But please, just," He handed her the papers with a sad smile, "Just try to study these papers. I'm not forcing you to, and I know how much you hate all these boring classes, but they'll be worth it in the end when you finally become the queen and you can have all the fun you want."

Taking the pile of papers in one hand and wiping her mouth with the other, she looks up at Louis and nods with a smile. "I'll try! So is that it? I'm free to go?"

"Haha, yes, I suppose that's it. Now go have fun with your friends. Oh, and try to stay out of mischief! Don't leave the castle, again." Louis called out as Hat Kid made her way to the library doors.

"Sure thing, Louis!" As she reached her hands out towards the door-handle, someone opened it at exactly the right time and scared Hat Kid half to death as it swung and almost hit her in the face.

It was Bonnibel gripping the handle as led Hat Kid's father, Xander, inside the library with Mu trailing right behind the king. "Oh, goodness!" Bonnibel exclaimed as Hat Kid took a step back. "I'm so sorry, Princess Seraphina! I had no idea that you were leaving."

Mu squeezed past King Xander and made her way to her friend with narrowed orange eyes, but she wasn't mad. A little annoyed, sure, but she never got incredibly angry at Bonnibel.

Holding her papers to her chest and practically crumpling them up, Hat Kid breathed a sigh of relief as Bonnibel put a hand on her shoulder to steady her. "It's fine... I'm fine. Let's just get going, guys. Bye, dad." Making her way out the door, she stopped abruptly as soon as her father ruffled her brown hair with his hand.

"Bye, sweetheart. Don't worry about breakfast too much. Just get some lunch with your friends and try to make it to dinner." Xander replied back as his daughter's bodyguards saluted their king and closed the door behind them.

* * *

Now alone in the library, Louis made eye contact with the king and saluted King Xander by putting his fist to his heart, then got back to work by whirling around and collecting the papers Hat Kid didn't bother to study. "Seraphina slept through her lesson again, much to my chagrin. No matter how hard I try, I just can't get your daughter to sit still and listen for once."

Xander watched the rain with his hands behind his back, and a solemn expression adorned his chiseled face as he took a few steps forwards. As his shoes met with the floor, a harsh echo rang out in the library, followed by Xander's low chuckle. "That's my daughter for you. She's still a child at heart so you need to excuse her actions sometimes..." He replies, hiding the reality that his daughter was, indeed, still a child, and his wife aged her and her friends up. "...The rain doesn't seem to be letting up, does it, Louis?" He asks, changing the subject.

Putting away the papers into a briefcase, Louis sighs and nods while looking out the window. Leaning against the table, Louis grips his suitcase tighter and tries his best to speak. Poor Louis couldn't tell if Xander was coming closer to him by being friendly and continue their conversation side by side, or he was about to threaten his royal advisor for speaking out of line about his daughter. "Yes, and that thunderstorm... I've never seen anything like it. Nobody was able to use their hover-crafts or spaceships today in fear of being electrocuted or zapped out of the sky, but one of Seraphina's subjects was about stratospheric decay from the fuel our kingdom uses, so scientists are making spaceships that benefit from solar use, as well as a built-in battery. It's actually quite revolutionary, King Xander, I'm really glad you listened to me when I suggested it."

Louis twirled his wavy brown hair around his finger as his eyes trailed downwards, and his mouth managed to curl into a smile as soon as Xander's eyes lit up. Xander crossed his arms and continued watching the rain fall against the window, and felt a sudden chill run down his spine from the cold and empty library. But for some reason, even in his human form, Snatcher seemed to be equally as interested in Xander without really understanding why.

Xander didn't want to admit that Ophelia was right, but perhaps Ophelia was on to something when she said Xander and Louis were being "a little too close for comfort".

"But of course, Louis! You're my royal advisor and friend, after all, so anything beneficial to my people will always come in handy... And by the by, thank you ever so much for telling me of The Tale Of Queen Vanessa. I might read some children's tales in my spare time since you suggested it to me." Xander blinks as Louis watches on with an excited smile. "Perhaps we can find time later, when you're not busy...?"

His heart skips a beat as Louis' eyes suddenly sparkle and shine at knowing that Xander was dead-set on reading more stories with him, but a sudden crack of thunder broke them out of their trance and Louis quickly gathered his things to perform more duties given to him by Queen Ophelia. "That sounds wonderful, King Xander, but I... um, well, I don't know if I should tell you this or not. The last thing I want is for you to be offended."

He tilts his head to the side and feels his blonde hair falling with it. He speaks softly, "Louis, you can tell me anything you want. It's alright." 

Louis could tell by Xander's serious expression that he _meant_ it. Nothing in the world could have prepared Louis for this, but as soon as he dropped the briefcase to the floor, his eyes began welling with tears as another lightning bolt pierced the sky and lit up the library in a brilliant light.

Curling his fingers into a fist, his voice echoes off the library walls, almost as loud as thunder, "I know you're married to Ophelia... And I know Seraphina is your daughter... B-But I..."

Xander's mouth went agape and his eyes widened in suspense, but his mind was going a million miles a minute. He had no idea if this was a confession of love or if Louis put two-and-two together and realized that whoever "Snatcher" was wasn't an imaginary friend of Seraphina, and that Snatcher was Louis. Regardless, Xander let Louis speak.

"I...I don't know why I'm feeling this way. But you've always been so nice to me and... I-I don't know. I just feel _safe_ with you, Xander. I can't put it into words, I don't know what this is. It's not loyalty, it's not devotion... I-I don't have any idea what it is. Gosh, I must sound like a bumbling fool right now-"

"It's alright, Louis." Xander towers over Louis as he put his hands on Louis' shoulders to calm him down. "You don't have to say it. I already know."

Pressing Louis up against the white marble table, Xander holds Louis' waist with one hand and keeps himself upright by placing his free hand against the table. His expression was unreadable, but Louis? Louis was redder than a cherry despite the coldness in the library. 

Flustered, Louis looks away and awkwardly put his arms around Xander's back and gives him a gentle squeeze.

"Louis, listen to me, I know you can't say it in fear of someone hearing you, or you're too afraid of someone walking in on us like this, but I..." Xander breathes in and out shakily. "I love you too."

"...But what about Ophelia-" Louis looks back at Xander, who winces at hearing her name.

"She's not the same as she used to be. You've seen the way she acts around my daughter and I... she despises us. All she wants is to stay in power, and I'm sick and tired of her using her royal lineage to her advantage... You could be a king, if you wanted. All we have to do is work together to overthrow Ophelia!"

"And... Seraphina?" Louis asks, almost intrigued. "You know I care for your daughter, King Xander! If you're suggesting we get rid of her too-"

"What? No," Xander laughs out, his hand trailing up and down Louis' waistline, "You would have a new step-daughter. Seraphina already adores you, doesn't she?"

Louis shivers. "I've got to admit... I um... I heard your argument at breakfast. Ophelia is going to hurt Seraphina someday, and I'm always worried you're going to be next... and then she rules Sehan with an iron fist and I'm thrown in the dungeon-" Louis closes his eyes and imagines starving to death at the bottom of a cellar, chained up and left to die.

It all seemed... unbelievably familiar to Louis to be chained up and forgotten, but Xander broke Louis out of the trance by caressing his cheek with his hand, and giving him a soft kiss on the lips.

The rain all but settles now as the two wrap their arms around each other in an affectionate embrace, and they were almost relieved knowing their love for each other was no longer unrequited. They stayed like this for awhile, just caressing each other and listening to the rain let up as they tested the waters of their newfound relationship. Xander would kiss Louis' nose, Louis would kiss Xander's cheek, Xander would give Louis a nip on the neck, and so on.

Xander would never admit it, but he much preferred Louis as a large, hunkering purple ghost, but he could at least kiss and touch this version of him, so this was an upside.

"I love you too, King Xander-" Louis breathlessly said.

"You can just call me Xander, Louis." Xander replied, running a hand through Louis' wavy hair and giving him an eager grin. "And I love you too. But there's something you should know about your true identity."

Right then and there, Xander told Louis the truth about everything Ophelia did to the Moon Colony after his death from another dimension, he told Louis that The Tale of Queen Vanessa was actually how Snatcher came to be, and how Louis was actually Snatcher. Xander told Louis about how DJ Grooves and Conductor Archibald were actually an anthropomorphic penguin and owl, and that Mu and Bonnibel were actually named Mustache Girl and Bow Kid, and that Hat Kid, Mustache Girl, and Bow Kid were all children. Not a single detail was left out, but he was definitely breathless after spilling all the details to his former royal advisor turned lover.

His voice was low and firm, and hopefully made everything believable enough that Louis wouldn't deny it.

"...We need to overthrow Ophelia now, then." Louis says without hesitation.

"Yes, yes we do. And you and Seraphina are going to help me with that." Xander unsheathes his dagger from his coat pocket and inspects its sharpness. "How good are you with daggers? We're going to be taking _Stab in the back_ to a whole new level."


	8. The Ultimate Price

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rounding up her friends for the impeachment of Queen Ophelia, Hat Kid realizes that the kingdom would need to see the evil she's done in order to favor Xander more than Ophelia. They throw a ball and invite the kingdom to the castle, then go along with their plan.

"Wait... Snatcher's going to be my step-dad? Like, you two actually fell in love? You're going to get married and stuff? Am I going to be the princess of Sehan _and_ the princess of the Subcon Forest? Ohmigosh that sounds so cool!" Hat Kid exclaimed all in one breath. With her fists clenched to her chest, she stared up at Xander and Louis with "stars" in her eyes. Despite the excitement, she knew that the moment her father met the giant, purple ghost, they would immediately hit it off. For now though, Louis was a human, but Xander said he would love him dead or alive; And that certainly wasn't an understatement.

Louis tightened the grip on Xander's hand by giving it a gentle squeeze, and in turn, Xander grinned to himself. He had no regrets when it came to loving Louis, but his main issue was protecting Louis from his deranged ex-wife: Queen Ophelia. Additionally, as soon as Xander and Snatcher visited the Subcon Forest, they would have to worry about Queen Vanessa making an entrance, but _that_ nonsense could be saved for later when everyone was happy, healthy, and returned home.

...Queen Ophelia just had no idea that she was going to be overthrown, divorced, and murdered though. All in one day, too, much to everyone's relief. 

Unfortunately for Mu and Bonnibel, this information was quite a lot to take in. They were more than happy knowing that Xander found love with Louis, in fact the two bodyguards thought Louis was a better match for the king anyway. Now, the information about the alternate timeline though, that made them almost faint in shock.

Mu was actually a little girl who called herself Mustache Girl who lived on an island surrounded by the Mafia, and Bonnibel was actually a little girl who called herself Bow Kid who went on adventures with Hat Kid and hung out with an anthropomorphic Yakuza Cat.

Conductor Archibald would be on his train 24/7 and DJ Grooves would be too busy running his dance studio to pay attention to the summons of the royal family, had it not been for Louis promising money for the train station and the dance studio. This was certainly a change; but they weren't sure if that was a good or a bad one.

"Seraphina," Xander laughs, "One question at a time, please. Yes, once this mess is over and we all return to our normal lives, you're welcome to visit Snatcher and I in our respective kingdoms whenever you like. Your friends are still putting two and two together."

Hat Kid looks off to the side and see's Mustache Girl and Bow Kid asking one another if they remember anything about the alternate dimension. Much to both of their dismays, they don't remember a thing about their true selves. They were brainwashed by Queen Ophelia into thinking they were born and raised in Sehan's military, only to be used as disposable bodyguards for the princess.

DJ Grooves and Conductor Archibald, both whisked away from their duties learned that they were not actually human, but were nothing more than anthropomorphic birds were held a momentary truce with one another to create movies for their Moon Penguins and Express Owls. They still had no idea why exactly they were supposed to hate each other, but Hat Kid explained awhile back that they didn't want to share their Movie Studio with one another and did different projects in the same building.

Regardless, they all tried creating a mental picture of what they were _supposed_ to look like with the information given to them by Hat Kid, plus their humanized versions. DJ Grooves grabbed a pencil and paper and scribbled down a penguin with all his discernible features; his afro, the microphone, his large heels, his jacket, and his big star sunglasses. "...Is this what I look like, darling?"

Shoving the paper in Hat Kid's face, she flinches as the paper comes a little too close for comfort. "Uh, yeah, that-that looks fine-" 

"Gimme that paper!" Conductor Archibald snatches the paper out of DJ Grooves' hand and flips the paper over to imagine what he would look like. Unfortunately, when he heard the word "Owl" he thought he would look exactly like a normal barn owl he's seen all his life. Instead, however, as he showed Hat Kid the picture of what he thought himself to look like, he gave Hat Kid and King Xander an excited nod and a smile.

"Not even close." King Xander and Hat Kid said at the same time, prompting him to look back down at the piece of paper with an angry huff, then crumpled it up and threw it behind him. DJ Grooves chuckled a little and pat him on the back.

"We still have no real idea if Snatcher will remember falling in love with Xander," Louis says as he worriedly chews on his lip, "But... If he does remember... If _I_ remember," Louis corrected, "Then, even as a ghost, I'll hold Xander as tight as I can and never let him go. I promise."

Xander moves some brown hair out of Louis' eyes and tilts his head to the side while inspecting Louis' lovely face. Louis, on the other hand, bashfully looks towards his future step-daughter and tries to smile, but his long bangs hid his eyes despite his best efforts.

They were all hiding in Hat Kid's bedroom from Queen Ophelia and the guards, so as long as Hat Kid kept the door locked, no one would be any wiser. Especially since it was nighttime and everyone had gone to sleep, save for Ophelia, who was most likely spending her time in the study room.

Xander replies with a chuckle, "Just try not to squish me as a ghost, Louis. I don't want to die all over again!"

"Um, excuse me, Princess Seraphina?" Mu asks, interrupting Louis' reply to Xander's exclamation, "I," She corrects herself by shaking her head and interlocking her arm with Bonnibel's, who in turn, presses herself closer to Mu, "We just have to ask... Once we overthrow the queen and revert back into our original ages, will we return home? Will we return to our daily lives, just like that?"

Hat Kid tilts her head to the side, and her self-made ponytail tilts with her. "What do you mean, Mu? Of course everything will go back to normal. There might be a chance you'll remember your time here on Sehan, but there's no way you'd forget all about _you,_ if that's you're wondering. Everything will be just fine; I promise."

"...You make an awful lot of promises you're unable to keep, Seraphina." Mu grumbles, and Bonnibel smacks her arm with the back of her hand.

"When have I ever made a promise I couldn't keep? Name one!" Hat Kid demands, it Mu stares down at the princess with narrowed eyes.

"Now, girls-" Louis tries to break up the argument, but Xander stops him by pulling him back with a shake of his head. His daughter could fight her own battles; she's done it countless times before.

"I distinctly remember that you promised to never keep secrets from us, and look where that got us. Apparently we're in another dimension where your dad never kicked the bucket and the Moon Colony never experienced nuclear warfare. We trusted _you_ , Seraphina, not the kingdom, not the royal family, not other guards... Bonnibel and I are your friends, aren't we? Apparently we weren't actually bodyguards, so I just have to ask..."

Hat Kid blinked and stared up at Mu with her mouth slightly agape. "Go on, Mu."

"Are we really your friends? Or are we really just disposable like the common royal guard? Because we..." Mu trailed off, as she lifted her finger. This was a hard thing to ask, but she and Bonnibel needed to know, "We aren't going to overthrow the queen just because you want to. I want you to promise me that if we assassinate the queen, Xander gets put into power and we transform back into our usual selves. I don't want to be written down as a queen-slaying maniac, do you understand me?" Mu finishes, and allows Bonnibel to continue for her.

"I'm going to be honest, I... I never liked your mother anyway, but we _all_ have to come up with a good enough plan to overthrow the queen without making the entire kingdom suspicious." Bonnibel says, twiddling her thumbs together. "If we come up with a plan, right here, right now... It has to be so incredible that she can't be suspicious about our actions whatsoever. But you've seen the way she acts, it's almost impossible to keep a secret."

Conductor Archibald ran a hand through his hair and sighed with his eyes closed. "Yer all thinking about this too much. We could hold a royal banquet in her honor or something-"

"Like letting her guard down? That could work." Louis perks up.

Xander agrees. "We hold a royal banquet/ball in her honor and invite some of the citizens of our kingdom to the castle," He begins pacing the room with his thumb and index finger resting at his chin. His eyes are narrowed and intense, but he was used to putting ridiculous plans into action since he was the general of Sehan's army, "Everything will be normal for awhile, and we don't say anything about the alternate dimension... But once the time is right-"

Looking up, he makes eye contact with Mu and points at her. "Mu, you have to do something incredibly important."

Stiffening up, Mu nods and widens her orange eyes as Hat Kid watches on with a confused look on her face. "Yes, King Xander? What do you need me to do?"

"The last thing I want is to put you or anyone else in any danger whatsoever, but I'll need your golden spear when the time is right. I have my dagger in case anything goes wrong, but in order to reveal the truth of what's she's done to every single one of us to our kingdom, I'll need a weapon in case she tries to attack me. Seraphina, you'll be right next to me, so make sure to get out of the way and shield your eyes for what I'm going to do to your mother, okay?" Xander requests, as he caresses her cheek with his hand.

Hat Kid knew exactly what her father planned on doing, but it didn't help to envision her mother's death. She knew that overthrowing her mother was their top priority, but the idea that her mother was going to die so painfully broke Hat Kid's heart... And she had no idea why. Even after Ophelia choked her to death and ruined her vocal cords, even after blowing up the Moon Colony in retaliation for assassinating Xander, and even after injuring her friends in battle, Hat Kid felt like all this fighting was for nothing.

With a heavy heart, Hat Kid sighs and stares down at the floor. She wanted to do anything else but conspire against the queen; Hat Kid just wanted to get home and have everything back to normal, but she knew it wouldn't be that easy.

"You heard your mother, Seraphina, she wants to get rid of you. Permanently... If we don't assassinate your mother _now_ , she might kill or injure you later. And I can't let that happen. Especially not when I've finally got you back. I'd destroy Sehan myself if it meant keeping you and the others safe from harm." Her father continued, and Hat Kid finally made eye contact with her father, even if she was on the verge of crying.

"I know," She whispered, and Bonnibel put a hand on her shoulder to reassure her, "But... what if the plan fails? What then? We can't just exclaim that we're throwing a royal banquet in one night!"

"Actually..." Louis interrupted, a small smile on his face, "That's exactly what we can do. I'll order someone to print out posters and send out invitations to be mailed to a select few of people. I am the royal advisor after all."

"Then it's settled. We'll have to find something stylish to wear for this little murder plot." DJ Grooves nods, and ruffles Bonnibel's hair immediately after.

Bonnibel groaned and fixed her curly hair with her hand and gave DJ Grooves a look of annoyance, but still laughed anyway.

"I'll pick out my best attire, your majesty!" Conductor Archibald joked, and everyone went their separate ways.

* * *

The next day rolled around quicker than expected, but the whole kingdom was in full swing once they learned about the royal banquet/ball to "Celebrate the Royal Family's Achievements", which is what Louis printed on flyers and announced on the news-board of Sehan. People from miles around came to the royal palace with their invitations thinking they were more important than other people, when in actuality Louis did nothing more than randomly choosing the addressees and mailing their invitations without batting an eye.

The chefs were more than willing to supply their visiting citizens with food and drink for the ball that was slowly starting to fill up with guests. 

King Xander and his daughter wore matching outfits, complete with Sehan's seal; The Time Piece, sowed on the side of their sleeves.

He wore a black suit, complete with some golden colors around his shoulders and around the hem of his jacket. Hat Kid, on the other hand, wore a charming white and gold dress she found somewhere in the back of her closet. She didn't like it, but it wasn't as itchy as the usual gold dress she was forced to wear half the time.

Queen Ophelia was busy making small talk with some of her subjects, and her long crimson dress wrapped around her perfect torso with so much grace that it didn't seem like she had a child at all. Hat Kid's mother was her perfect, little amazing self... and Hat Kid hated it.

Ophelia and Hat Kid made eye contact for a split second, and for a moment, Hat Kid tried to smile and wave as to not cause suspicion. Her mother, on the other hand, just rolled her eyes and waved at her with a flick of her wrist as she walked off. 

"Peck neck..." She grumbled under her breath as she took another bite of the hors d'oeuvres before the big party. She stuck to the crackers and cheese as those weren't as fancy or gross as the shrimps or strange looking fruit.

DJ Grooves and Conductor Archibald were off in the corner near a window, just chatting amongst one another. They were keeping an eye out for Mu and Bonnibel, but as soon as Hat Kid made eye contact with them, the humanized penguin and owl shrugged at the same time.

The music was in full swing, with some jazz, as well as classical managing to reach just above the level of loud conversations going on in the echoing hall.

Louis stepped inside wearing a red and purple suit, much like Xander's, only his had puffy shoulders with frilly lines going across. "Sorry I'm late! I've been looking for Mu and Bonnibel, and I... I don't have any idea as to why they could've gone."

"Mu and Bonnibel are missing? W-We have to look for them! The plan can't be completed without their spears." Xander snapped back, but made it look like he and his royal advisor were simply having a conversation.

Holding onto her father, he gripped her hand as tightly as he could to ensure her that everything would be fine. Hat Kid still had no idea where Mu and Bonnibel were, and the plan was already going into action. 

Hat Kid spoke up. "Maybe I could look for them? They are my bodyguards so..."

"What?" Xander and Louis whispered simultaneously. Louis, however, continued, "There's no telling what the other royal guards could do to you. Ophelia might have ordered them to keep an eye on you. No, no you have to stay close to us."

Hat Kid huffed and fixed her ponytail. The makeshift hair-tie kept coming undone and she continually had to adjust it, otherwise her hair would look messy. "But we have to find Mu and Bonnibel! How else are their ages going to get reversed? I want _Mustache Girl_ and _Bow Kid_ back! Not a couple of bodyguards!"

"We know that, Seraphina, but in order to keep _you_ safe from harm, we have to be near you at all times. There's no telling what Ophelia might do to you if you were alone-" Louis tried to say, but Hat Kid interjected.

"But I made them a promise! I promised them that I would keep them safe from harm and I..." Hat Kid tried to explain, but her sentence was cut off by Queen Ophelia clinking a spoon against a porcelain cup. The music died down, as well as everyone's conversations, but as she walked over to her daughter, anyone could tell that she knew _exactly_ what this royal banquet/ball was for. 

Queen Ophelia caught on pretty quickly that they wanted her gone, but unfortunately for her, she let her emotions and anger get the better of her. In front of her citizens, Queen Ophelia slammed the cup against the floor right in front of Seraphina, shattering it into little bits and pieces.

"You thought I wouldn't catch on to your little plan, didn't you? Well," Queen Ophelia began to encircle her husband and daughter with a shrug, and the end of her long red dress followed her as she breathed out, "I heard those two bodyguards whispering about it last night. Unfortunately for my brat of a daughter, I had to teach them a lesson. Throw them in here!" Queen Ophelia shouted, and Hat Kid narrowed her eyes.

The party-goers moved out of the way as soon as the doors burst open to two guards, and a few of them gasped in shock or flat out screamed in anguish.

One guard was holding Mu by the arm even though she continued to thrash around and curse at him to let her go, but he only held her tighter and pointed the pointed end of the golden spear at her neck. Her hair was no longer tied into pigtails, but anyone could tell that at least one of her beautiful orange right eyes was _missing_.

In its place was the empty, bloody socket that repeatedly opened and closed, with slashes on and around her face from being interrogated about the plan to overthrow the queen. "Hat Kid!" Mu screamed out, her British voice hoarse and scared, "I'm sorry! I tried to keep our plan a secret, I really did! But then they began to hurt Bonnibel and I... I couldn't let that happen."

Hat Kid stared wide eyed at Mu's face. She could care less that Mu revealed the plan; all she could do was stare at the blood running out of her eye socket, and for a split second, the crackers with cheese almost came back up.

Another royal guard pushed past and brought in Bonnibel, who had no other wounds except for her arm which flopped around as if it was broken around her elbow. She winced as soon as the guard threw her to the floor and fell with a harsh thud, prompting Mu to lash out against the guard and come to Bonnibel's aid. She ends up getting held back and coughs, then makes eye contact with her princess. 

"Mu! Bonnibel!" Hat Kid yells out, trying to rush to them.

"Ah ah ah," Her mother says, grabbing her daughter and shoving her into her father's arms, "You're not going anywhere. _No one_ is going anywhere. You see what happens to people that try to oppose me? Bring my daughter's friends closer to her." Ophelia says with a flick of her wrist, and Xander narrows his eyes at his wife.

The guards do as they're told without hesitation, and as quickly as possible. Even while Mu is kicking and screaming out, "Let go of me you psycho!", they do not change their expressions. It was almost as if they were being controlled to do what Ophelia wanted them to do, and Hat Kid knew that her citizens were just as confused as she was. 

Dropping Mu and Bonnibel at Hat Kid's feet, the guards take a step back and Louis, DJ Grooves, and Conductor Archibald comes to their aid by attempting to lift up the two girls and take them someplace safe to fix their wounds.

Her father's voice breaks through the quiet as he hides Hat Kid behind him and looks down at his wife with his chest rising and falling. He was furious, and even Hat Kid was scared of what her father planned to do. "Why did you hurt them? They are _children._ "

"Mu, Bonnibel, _and_ Seraphina are children who are planning my death. You're just lucky I couldn't get to our pretty little princess in time," Ophelia giggles, "Yes, by the time I would be done torturing you, you wouldn't be able to concoct a plan to overthrow me ever again-" 

"If you finish that sentence I won't hesitate to kill you myself. I promise you that." Xander says, and almost everyone gasps. 

Ophelia cocked an eyebrow upwards, as if testing to see if he would actually go along with it. "By the time I would be done torturing Seraphina, she would no longer be able to speak, let alone breathe-"

Xander heard enough of her threats and acted on impulse. Ripping the golden spear out of the hypnotized guard's grasp, he encircles his wife and stabs her in the back, pushing the spear through skin, flesh, and bone.

Queen Ophelia's mouth opens to scream, but the pain and shock of it all forces her to produce nothing more than a few breathless squeaks as her own husband drives the golden spear further and further into her torso. The sharp end of the spear poked through her chest and came out the other side, much to everyone's disgust. Clenching her teeth as she tries to suppress the pain, she clutches the point of the spear that is continually being forced deeper and deeper into her body.

Crimson blood drips off the golden spear and onto the white marble floor below, and for a moment, Hat Kid watches on with furrowed brows and tears in her eyes. She despised her mother, sure, but Ophelia's blue eyes stared directly into her own as the entire room erupted into chaos, but for the most part, they thought she deserved what was coming to her, especially since they watched their own queen abuse her power. 

It was a sick joke, but Ophelia just happened to wear red on the day she was to be murdered.

Queen Ophelia's legs struggled to keep her upright due to the pain and her vision grew blurry as she watched her own subjects, her family, her friends, her _kingdom_ , revel and and celebrate their queen's defeat. Yet no matter how much she tried to plea with them, it wasn't enough. Her people saw what she did to Mu and Bonnibel with their own eyes, and they wanted nothing more than to give her to same treatment.

DJ Grooves looked to be on the verge of vomiting, yet his hand over his mouth kept from doing so. Conductor Archibald, on the other hand, wanted to look, but he just couldn't. Not even when she was as cruel as she was... did he wish for her to die so painfully.

Her father did it; her father _murdered_ his wife and managed to overthrow the kingdom, just like that. It almost seemed too good to be true.

Then, a scream erupted from the bowels of her throat. It was loud and ear-drum shattering, almost to the point where Hat Kid was forced to cover her ears from the deafening sound alone.

"How dare you do this to me?" Ophelia shrieked out, her eyes wild, "Xander, you were my husband! We were supposed to rule Sehan together... W-Without that stupid brat in the way!"

"Be quiet! I'm done! It's over, Ophelia, enough is enough! Just... please... Just leave us alone already." Xander's voice softens as he notices her betrayed expression, "Enough fighting, Ophelia, please. And my daughter is not a brat, do you hear me? She's my pride and joy, and I would choose her over you any day!"

Ignoring Xander, she see's something out of the corner of her eye; Louis' familiar face, tending to Mu's and Bonnibel's wounds. Her brows furrow together and her eyes narrow as she realizes just how important Louis is to Xander. How Louis is going to rule Sehan in her place, she had no idea...

...But she couldn't allow someone like Louis to be in her king's heart, and she's nothing more than someone in the way. She wanted to change that; and her anger gave her enough strength to do the unthinkable.

Crying out in pain, Queen Ophelia rips the golden spear out of Xander's clutches by literally pulling it out of her torso, screaming the whole time. Some entrails and blood scraped along the golden spear, giving it a harsh orange color that couldn't be cleaned. 

Scrambling to DJ Grooves and Conductor Archibald, Hat Kid hides behind them in fear that perhaps Ophelia might attack Xander, her own daughter, or she might go on a rampage and start attacking the defenseless citizens of Sehan... But she did neither of those things.

Instead, she used the blunt end of the spear to jab Xander in the side and began using the last of her strength to charge at Louis, Mu, and Bonnibel. The sharp end of the spear was pointed directly at Louis, and her face was wild.

Louis had noticed not long ago that the queen wanted him dead, especially since Louis stole the only thing Ophelia cared about, aside from being queen. Unfortunately for Louis, he wasn't quick enough to dodge the attack, even when he was nothing more than an innocent bystander. Raising his arms into the air to protect himself, he lets out a cry as Ophelia jabs the spear forward. Everyone grows silent, as if wondering if Ophelia died before she could make impact, but judging by Mu's and Bonnibel's faces, there was no doubt in Xander's mind that in one final act of horribleness, Ophelia murdered Louis the same way he wanted to kill her.

Slumping forwards, Ophelia groaned and fell on top of Louis' body with her arm still wrapped around the spear. 

Mu was still dazed and confused as she lay on the ground with her right palm hovering over her injured orange eye from Ophelia's Time Piece powers. She had no idea the power of the Time Pieces was this strong, but somewhere in the back of her mind, she felt like she knew exactly how this power felt in the other dimension. With her good eye, Mu saw Bonnibel struggle to her feet as she came to Louis' aid, but her broken arm wasn't allowing her to move whatsoever. 

Bonnibel had tears in her eyes as she tried to push her deceased queen off her friends body, but she wasn't strong enough. "Someone get her off King Louis!" She shouted, and Mu opened her mouth. "Someone! Anyone?" No matter how much she cried, no matter how much she tried to come to a stand, all she could do was hold her elbow in pain. For now, Bonnibel's top priority was getting Mu's swollen-shut eye cleaned and dress it with gauze bandages before it got infected.

"Louis!" Xander cries out, running to Louis' aid, all while holding his side in pain. Coming to Louis' side, he practically threw Ophelia's body off of him and watched the spear begin to dig deeper and deeper into his chest. His blue eyes were closed and his brown hair had lost its usual fluff, but a lot of the hair practically covered his face.

Either Louis passed out cold from the shock, or perhaps he didn't want to open his eyes in fear of seeing the damage done to his chest, Xander had no idea. It wasn't until Seraphina, _Hat Kid_... his pride and joy, left DJ Grooves and Conductor Archibald did he finally manage to squint them open with a slow and steady breath. His vision was blurring... he was losing a lot of blood.

Louis knew he wasn't going to make it, but he had to keep his eyes open just a little bit longer to say goodbye. He had no idea if he was going to turn into Snatcher, but at least he had the chance to have an adventure. It hurt to move, it hurt to breathe... Everything just hurt.

Xander placed a hand against Louis' cheek and placed a hand on his daughter's shoulders to console her. "Louis, we're right here. Once we find the red Time Piece and create an alternate reality, we're going to turn you back into Snatcher. You'll be with us! Everything will go back to normal, I promise! You just need to stay with me, dear, we're right here."

The subjects gave the royal family their privacy and tried their hardest to find anything that would be of use to their wounds. 

Louis blinked and lolled his head to the side with a very sad, but proud, smile. It was meant for Seraphina, his step-daughter. Even with the tears rolling down her red and puffy cheeks, she was still the beautiful thirteen year old girl who would have been his daughter, whom he could raise as a ghost in another dimension. For now, as he rose his hand into the air and moved some hair out of her eyes, did he finally speak. "It's alright," He coughs, and some blood finds its way out of his mouth, "I may not _look_ fine, but I am. I just need to..." He went in and out of consciousness, then his hand fell at his side, "...I just need to rest." 

"No! _Dad_ , come on, you have to survive until we find that red Time Piece! Just a little longer! Please, I already lost my mother... I-I... I can't lose you too! I love you! _We_ love you!" Hat Kid sobbed out, and Bonnibel and Mu watched on. 

"You called me Dad... For the first time, you called me Dad." Louis whispered, clearly out of it. He seemed to be getting paler and paler by the minute. "...I'm glad that I could hear you call me Dad, even if it was for the first and last time."

With a final breath, Louis finally succumbed to his wounds and died in the embrace of his family.

Xander wasn't one to cry, not normally, but as he held Louis' corpse in his arms, his green eyes began welling with tears and his mouth curled downwards. He hiccuped as he held Louis' lifeless body close to his own, then whispered, "Seraphina, take Conductor Archibald and search the castle for that red Time Piece. DJ Grooves, stay here and tend to Bonnibel and Mu. _Immediately._ "

Wasting no time at all, Hat Kid exclaims, "We'll be back soon!" as she runs beside Conductor Archibald in a hurry to leave the hall of the castle. Wiping away a few falling tears, Hat Kid throws open the doors into the hallway and allows Conductor Archibald to run past her in a hurry. 

"Come on, Hat Kid! I think I know where it is. Let's all use that Time Piece to get home!" He barks with a determined look in his eyes.

"O-Okay." She sighs out.


	9. The Real You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conductor Archibald and Hat Kid are in a race against time to find the red Time Piece, or any Time Pieces for that matter. Unfortunately for everyone else, Queen Ophelia's lifeless corpse has a few tricks up its sleeve.

"Conductor Archibald, slow down! I can't keep up with you in this stupid dress!" Hat Kid exclaimed breathlessly. She tripped over a rug and regained herself momentarily, but her heart skipped a bit as soon as she thought she was going to fall. The hem of her dress repeatedly tries to trip her up as she followed Conductor Archibald around the winding hallways of the castle, and for a moment, she considered going into her room for a quick change of clothes since it would be almost impossible to fight, much less _run_ in this glamorous dress. With nothing else to do, Hat Kid tried to be as close to Conductor Archibald as possible."

"Don't worry, lass! I think I might know where it is!" He called back, and he fixed his suit in the meantime. 

To make his suit less tight, he undid the tie and threw it off to the side, then unbuttoned his long black suit to reveal the white shirt underneath.

Sweat stuck to her forehead as she continued to follow him, and soon enough, she realized just how tight and uncomfortable her shoes were. There was no doubt in her mind that Hat Kid was going to get callouses from the shoes, especially since her skin started to break and sting with every step.

"You think? Or you know?" She gasped out, then made up her mind to remove the shoes altogether and toss them aside... _accidentally_... into a nearby priceless vase made of ceramic clay, and painted in liquid gold and liquid amethyst with lots of swirls painted atop the cooked clay.

Hat Kid didn't even bother to turn around and look at the vase she sent flying to the marble floor, but she still felt bad nonetheless. If she wasn't following Conductor Archibald, she would have tried to fix it somehow. Relieved that she had no longer had to feel pain every time she walked, she caught up with Conductor Archibald at a much quicker pace.

His expression was definitely that of an agitated guardian once he heard the vase hit the floor, and his blue eyes were narrowed in anger once he turned back to look at the damage . He scoffed and looked back at her. "Just because you're a darn princess doesn't mean you should treat the decorations like dirt! I could have sold that to pay for my train repairs if you didn't want it!"

"Ugh, would you shut the heck up?" Hat Kid's voice ended up echoing down the halls, and for a second she forgot that Louis was... well... dead in her father's arms. Additionally, Mu was missing an eye, and Bonnibel's arm was broken beyond repair; Hat Kid had no idea whether or not that would interfere with alternating their reality, but that worry could be saved for another time. The only things stressing her out as of current is wearing a big, frilly dress that she can barely run in, and she had to keep up with Conductor Archibald at the same time. "This is an alternate reality! You have another train at home, sheesh! Can you just tell me where we're going?"

Conductor Archibald rounded another corner and threw open a set of doors that led to the courtyard of the castle, all seemingly out of breath and ready to run a marathon. He wiped the sweat off his brow and walked over to the fountain for a momentary sip of the water, then licked his lips and sighed as the cool water ran down his dry throat. "Okay, listen, I have a plan, but we don't have enough time for you to agree or disagree with it. Just bear with me for a second."

Hat Kid was equally as tired, and having to hold up her dress didn't help much either. What was even worse was that she was now shoe-less, so the cobblestone floor of the courtyard gave Hat Kid a grim reminder of so long ago when Ophelia betrayed her before. It was a sunny day, just like this one, and Hat Kid thought her mother changed for the better; but of course, Queen Ophelia only cared about herself and the power of the Time Pieces.

The only difference now was that Hat Kid was a much different girl than who she used to be, and that she wasn't so easily swayed by the woman who took away her ability to speak.

"Alright," Conductor Archibald said, his Scottish accent thick, "Up we go, Seraphina!"

"Wha- Hey! I can walk, I just don't have shoes on!" Hat Kid stuttered out.

Before Hat Kid could brace herself, Conductor Archibald swept her off her feet and carried her close to his chest as he took off running with his back towards the castle. A few guards who happened to be marching past raised their weapons as soon as they saw their princess be carried off by a random blonde haired man in a suit that was covered in grease and oil from his train. Even though the guards were only doing their job, Conductor Archibald knew they didn't have enough time to tell them that he was carrying the princess for a reason.

But as far as the guards were concerned, the castle was on lockdown after the king murdered the queen, the royal advisor was having an affair with the king and was murdered as well, and two of the youngest bodyguards were caught coming up with a plan to sabotage the royal family. Seeing a train conductor carrying their last remaining member of the royal family, their _princess_ , who in their eyes was a saint compared to everyone else, had their weapons raised and began catching up with the Conductor almost as quickly as he sped off.

The Conductor took a right as soon as he managed to reach the road leading to Sehan's village, but he wanted to make it to the city, then to the tarmacs. Something in the corner of his mind knew that Hat Kid had more Time Pieces hidden away in her spaceship, and the last place she saw it was in her personal ship, so he made a break to her ship as soon as he remembered that.

"Look, lass, you have Time Pieces on your ship, right?" Conductor Archibald asked, and Hat Kid's eyes suddenly lit up.

"You do remember! ...Oh, but yeah! I do have blue Time Pieces, but I have no clue as whether or not the red one is stashed away in my vault." She replied.

Even though he was a little disappointed by her answer, Conductor Archibald nods and replies, "That's good enough for me, lassie! Hang on tight, I have an idea!"

As Conductor Archibald ran down a neighborhood street with adults watering their lawns or pulling weeds out of their gardens and children playing with one another or reading a book, their eyes met with their princess. The guards were slowly gaining on them, but that wasn't the main issue at the moment.

Immediately embarrassed, Hat Kid shields her face from the onlookers, but she knew they would recognize her as soon as they saw her. 

Princess Seraphina was their _perfect_ little princess, after all.

...And she hated being perfect and a princess as much as being called by her real name.

"Is that Princess Seraphina?" A man asked, obviously concerned.

"Is the princess being kidnapped?!" A woman shrieked.

"Honey, stay away from the soldiers."

"Mommy! Look at the size of their weapons!"

"Yes, that's nice, just don't stand so close to them."

"Hey, watch where you're going- Wait, what?"

Hat Kid tried to calm her subjects down, but it was of no use. Would we she even say to them? _"I'm fine! Just ignore us for now!"_ as the soldiers and guards of the castle are hot on their tail? No one would believe her.

"We want to run with the princess too!" A child giggled out, and the rest of their friends followed. Unfortunately, their parents followed right behind them, so now an entire mob of people followed Conductor Archibald and Princess Seraphina, thinking she was being kidnapped.

Running around town and passing by people's houses, Conductor Archibald gave it his all to try and keep Hat Kid safe as he continued running. No amount of exhaustion was going to allow him to fail; especially not when they were so close to winning.

Conductor Archibald looked behind his shoulder at the guards and children managed to catch up with him, but he only continued to run as he hyperventilated. "Alright, listen, lass," He said as his legs began to give out on him, "Your ship is parked on the tarmac in the exact same spot when you first landed it. Go inside and find that red Time Piece and rewind time... We're counting on you."

"I... I see it! It's the big spaceship right over there!" She pointed at her ship and smiled, but the realization hit her like a pile of bricks. 

A steep yet small cliff separated the road from the tarmac, so there was no way Conductor Archibald could run down the cliff with her in his arms. They would both go tumbling and get badly hurt if he tried running down the hill, so he decided to sacrifice himself for the greater good. Hat Kid was quick on her feet and could run to her spaceship no problem... But he still felt bad about letting her do this all on her own.

Her blue eyes widened as soon as Conductor Archibald grew closer and closer to the edge, and a spaceship blasted off into space somewhere nearby, prompting the children, the guards, and the adults to cover their ears and stop dead in their tracks. This gave Conductor Archibald an advantage, and his began laughing as soon as he lost them. "Ahahahaha! We're going to make it, lassie! Now remember, put your arms over your head and make sure you don't bend your knees, alright? Yer going to get scraped pretty badly."

"What do you plan on doing exactly-" Hat Kid began to ask as a joke, but as he stopped at the edge of the cliff, he let her go and hoped she would make a safe and comfortable landing somewhere on the cliff face.

There was tall grass to shield her fall, so if she landed on it, she should be perfectly fine... maybe.

Hat Kid, on the other hand, did exactly as she was told and made her legs as straight as possible, then put her arms over her head to shield her skull from any rocks that could potentially give her an injury. She didn't close her eyes for some reason, and her mouth went agape once she saw Conductor Archibald's red and tired face giving her a small, relieved smile as he was being pulled away by the guards for questioning. "Conductor-"

Making contact with the dirt and grass, Hat Kid let out a cry and squeezed her eyes shut as she began to roll against the harsh and painful ground, feeling the dirt and rock scrape against her arms and legs and breaking the skin. Her frilly dress was caught on a bush somewhere on the way down, but with a " _riiiiiip"_ the dress became nothing more than tatters as she grunted and squeaked as she held her head in her hands.

"Someone get the princess!" One of the guards called out as she continued rolling.

"Oh no ya don't! Not if I have any say in it!" Conductor Archibald yelled out as he punched a guard.

And then a brawl erupted on the cliff.

It wasn't before long when she finally stopped falling down the hill and groaned in pain. She didn't want to move, she didn't want to open her eyes... Hat Kid had enough adventure for her lifetime. 

Now that she was older and less likely to double jump like she used to, she thought back to the time the Mafia Goon punched a hole into her spaceship and sent her falling to the ground from all the was up in space.

Nothing could compare to breaking through the atmosphere, but rolling down a cliff was equally as painful; maybe even more so, now that she was thirteen and magic barely existed on Sehan.

"Good job, lassie! Now run, Hat Kid! Don't look back! Find those Time Pieces! Rewrite history and turn everything back to normal!" He called out, albeit still breathless and being forced away from the cliff by the guards. He had a bloody nose from trying to get the guards away from the princess, but it was no use.

He was just one person against an entire group of men who were trained to fight. All he could do was yell at her as her vision kept stirring and her head lolled to the side.

Unfortunately for Hat Kid, a guard or two were trying to find a way down the cliff, so she couldn't spend time lying on the grass to bring her out of whatever daze she was in. In order to reach her spaceship in time, she would need to get up and _flee_ towards the tarmac, even with her dress in tatters, her hair-tie broken and lost, and her feet; shoe-less and aching. Conductor Archibald brought her this far, so there was no way that she should give up now.

Sitting up and rubbing her sore head, she slowly came to a stand and began walking towards her spaceship.

That walk slowly became a jog, and the jog gradually became a sprint. Even with all the aches and pains, her mind kept telling her to keep going despite all the pain she was in. She had to save her friends and family; just like they saved her countless times.

Mu and Bonnibel were in much more pain than she was, and they kept fighting for her.

Her father assassinated his wife and lost Louis all in one day, yet he kept fighting for her.

DJ Grooves and Conductor Archibald helped her through everything, and tried everything in their power to make sure she was safe and out of harms reach.

Hat Kid had to repay everyone for the kindness they've given her, even though she brought them back to Sehan and risked their lives in the first place.

Most of all, she had to save Louis from his untimely demise and bring back Snatcher... but she couldn't do that without the red time piece.

"Princess Seraphina! Are you alright?" One of the pilots asked as she continued running across the tarmac.

A few onlookers noticed how beat up she looked and worriedly watched on as the two guards coming down the cliff began sprinting across the tarmac along with her.

She just ignored them and continued running with tears in her eyes, the thought of being captured and sent back to the castle a reality she didn't want anything to do with. Her spaceship was so close, yet so far, but as the distance broke between her and her ship, she slowed down and tried to find a way to throw the door open.

Opening the glass door and crawling inside, she breathlessly shut and locked the door behind her as the guards began pounding on the glass with their fists and telling her to stop trying to hide. After the Mafia Goon incident, Hat Kid got smart and installed a folding security door that shields the glass from breaking.

Pressing the button, her view of the outside world was shielded by the door and the pounding on the window was blocked out by the metal. Now alone and back in her ship, the lights noticed her presence and proceeded to simulate the day-cycle and lit up her entire ship with lights and sounds exactly as she left it.

"Okay, okay, here we go." She whispered to herself as she nodded, "Now all I have to do is open the vault."

Walking over to the ladder in an attempt to grab it, her calm expression turned to one of pain as soon as she lifted her arm. Hat Kid had almost completely forgotten about the scrapes and bruises on her arms and legs. Even worse, her dress seemingly wasn't a dress anymore. It was covered in dirt and grass stains and the fabric practically fell off every time she took a step.

The adrenaline in her body kept the pain from registering before, but now that she could finally calm down and spend some time thinking about what to do, her clothes and her wounds needed to be dealt with somehow. She _did_ have a bathroom so she could clean up, but finding the red Time Piece was much more important than bandaging her cuts and scrapes.

Going up the ladder with a wince, she opened the vault as if half expecting the red Time Piece to be kept hidden right in plain sight, but she knew it wouldn't be so easy.

Hat Kid couldn't find it in her to move, much less breathe. Her blue eyes were wide in shock and her thoughts ran wild as she tried to think, but she couldn't do it.

The red Time Piece _was_ in her vault, yes, but it was... broken.

All that remained of the red Time Piece was broken bits of glass and the wooden casing surrounding it.

The blue Time Pieces were just fine, and seemingly shone with surprise as soon as Hat Kid opened the door to the vault.

If the red Time Piece wasn't in her vault... then where was it?

Putting two and two together, her heart sunk and she began to hyperventilate once she realized that her friends might not be able to make it back home.

_Her mother._

Queen Ophelia threw the red Time Piece to the ground and absorbed its power, then left behind the empty shell of the hourglass. Which meant Hat Kid was safe inside her ship, but all her friends and family... her subjects...

Everyone she knew and loved were trapped inside the castle with her dead mother, and she was going to wake up at any second now. The red Time Piece wasn't _gone,_ it was _hibernating_ inside her mother's body when she was still alive. Once Ophelia's soul leaves her body, the red Time Piece takes over and attacks anyone in a general vicinity. 

Her mother would become an unstoppable killing machine, possessed and used by the red Time Piece as payment for using its power to rewind time. 

And Hat Kid was nowhere near the castle!

"Oh no... Oh no what do I- Do?" She asked herself, and her eyes made contact with the glowing Time Pieces, almost beckoning her on to do what needed to be done. "Maybe I could... absorb a Time Piece."

If she could harness the energy and power of the Time Pieces long enough to fight her mother and protect her friends in this dimension, there may be a chance that the red Time Piece will reset the universe if she attacks her mother's corpse long enough. 

It was a stupid plan, but a stupid plan was better than no plan at all. 

Picking up a blue Time Piece and watching the magic swirl around inside, she breaths in and out to calm herself down. 

Without a final thought, she throws the Time Piece to the ground and absorbs the energy from inside and is granted the ability to send waves of power from her fingertips and attack her foes. It feels a little tingly.

She smashes another Time Piece to the ground and is gains the ability to protect herself from any oncoming attacks with a self-generating shield. She tests it out for a second and smiles to herself as the shield creates a prismatic effect as she looks around the room, but it pops once she takes her hands away from her side.

Another Time Piece destroyed; and another power gained.

Then another...

And countless others... until her Time Pieces no longer existed in this dimension.

The power coursing through Hat Kid was immeasurable and painful, but on the bright side, her wounds healed themselves almost immediately. The power of the Time Pieces coursed through her veins, and for a second, she realized just how powerful Mustache Girl and Queen Ophelia must have felt when harnessing such incredible energy.

Even through the pain and the exhaustion of the absorption, Hat Kid came to realize that she was practically unstoppable now, 

Her tattered and ruined dress was replaced with her usual purple shirt, yellow cape, white pants, and brown boots; All fitted to her liking and comfortable for moving around.

Something was on her head, and Hat Kid grinned to herself as her fingers touched her velvet top hat that she thought she lost forever. Now that she was thirteen, the hat wasn't so big anymore, but it still was a weight on her head as she moved.

If Hat Kid planned this correctly, the red Time Piece would rewrite the universe and turn everything back to normal once Hat Kid killed her mother a second time, and the red Time Piece could be used one last time to rewrite the universe.

If not, Hat Kid would be stuck being an overpowered thirteen year old for the rest of her life... and Sehan would be doomed all over again.

"I hope this plan works... Otherwise I'll be stuck like this forever." She grumbles, then rose her hand into the air to teleport herself back into the castle to fight her mother once and for all.

And this time, Hat Kid planned on keeping Queen Ophelia dead.

* * *

Xander was still clutching Louis' dead body as his daughter and Conductor Archibald ran down the hallway to do what needed to be done. He didn't move or speak, he just silently cried into Louis' shoulder and removed the golden spear jutting out of his chest as carefully as possible. The subjects were escorted out of the castle by some of the guards to give the king his space, but he definitely wasn't himself; not by a long shot. 

Xander was devastated, furious, and disappointed in himself... He kept thinking about what he could have done to keep Louis safe, but Louis decided to help Mu and Bonnibel by his own volition. If Mu and Bonnibel hadn't spoke about the plan-

No.

King Xander wasn't going to blame his daughter's friends for anything.

Nothing could have prepared Xander for Louis' death, but it just didn't seem fair that Louis had to die in another dimension and turn into a ghost, whereas he died in this dimension and didn't go anywhere else. He had no idea if there even was an "Other Side", but he just hoped that wherever Louis was, he was proud that Xander succeeded in what he wanted to accomplish.

Queen Ophelia's corpse bled out onto the floor, and a gaping hole was in her chest from the stab wound. Her face was still frozen in pain and her eyes were wide, almost like, even in death she was a ruthless monster capable of death and destruction. She stared off into nothingness, prompting Xander to almost throw up from the disgust of seeing his ex-wife's inanimate body curled up in pain from the spear being plunged into her torso.

Nothing could have ever prepared Xander to become a widower twice in one day, but with the help of his daughter and Conductor Archibald they'll be able to return back to the other dimension and save Louis from his untimely demise. He had no idea if the red Time Piece was going to undo the wounds, but he had to be at least a little hopeful despite the situation everyone was currently in.

Xander could have never prepared himself for this, either, and seeing Louis' terrified face before his ex-wife stabbed him in the chest was the last emotion Louis ever felt.

Louis must have been so scared in the face of death... Xander promised him that he would protect him and he couldn't even follow through on that. Louis must have been in so much pain, but through it all, he wanted to say goodbye to his found family one last time. 

And there he laid, immovable, lifeless, and in pain no longer.

Xander clutched Louis tighter to his chest and smelled his hair one last time.

_Lavender scented shampoo with a hint of cologne._

It was from there that Xander continued to cry... and Queen Ophelia's fingers began to twitch without him knowing.

Meanwhile, DJ Grooves had no medical training whatsoever, so tried as he might, he couldn't help Mu and Bonnibel with their wounds very much at all. The only thing he could do to take their mind off their suffering was have them ignore the pain and have an inane conversation about something random.

Mu still had her hand over her eye as she lied on the floor and stared up at DJ Grooves, but there was nowhere else to look without the pain setting in. She couldn't close her eyes, well, _eye_ either, especially since DJ Grooves and Bonnibel would snap her out of whatever daze she was in. She didn't feel like she was going to die, but there was little to no chance of her even wanting to blink at this rate, but DJ Grooves forced her to. The only good thing about this situation was that Mu was going to have a cool looking eye-patch now, but she'll have to keep her eye-socket clean.

Bonnibel, on the other hand, was sitting on DJ Grooves' lap as he held her close to his chest and told them the story of his life and how he became a dance instructor. She tried everything in her power to keep her arm from moving, or, more like, she tried everything in her power to not move at all. Every single nerve ending made her body twitch and ache, so there was no doubt in her mind that she would need to get a cast in order for the bone to heal. She just hoped she wouldn't have to get reconstructive surgery, and the thought of it scared her.

Everyone was just doing their own thing as they waited for Hat Kid and Conductor Archibald to come back, unbeknownst to the fact that Conductor Archibald was getting dragged back to the castle right this moment and Hat Kid was absorbing the power of the Time Pieces in her spaceship.

The door burst open and a group of guards came in with their weapons pointed to Conductor Archibald's neck. It seems like they didn't even notice Queen Ophelia's and Louis' dead body until it was too late.

"King Xander! We found this despicable man carrying your daughter to- Oh, gods, King Xander what happened in here? You're covered in blood... it's not yours, is it? Can you stand?" A female guard in a helmet asked, and by then, she completely forgot about Conductor Archibald and tried to aid the king and the royal advisor.

Conductor Archibald tried to console Bonnibel and Mu by saying that he got Hat Kid to her desired destination, but it was going to take a bit longer for her to arrive.

Coming to the king's aid, the guard puts a hand on his shoulder and asks, "Your daughter was thrown down a cliff and was last seen running towards her spaceship. Sire, please, what's going on? Your wife is dead... Your royal advisor is dead... What in the world is going on?"

"You need to leave. Everyone in this room except for DJ Grooves, Mu, and Bonnibel needs to leave immediately That's an order by your king." Xander snaps, his blue eyes wild.

Bonnibel presses herself closer to to DJ Grooves and Mu as the king lets his anger out on the guard, but she stands her ground. 

"Don't be absurd! You need to be kept safe, and your daughter is out there all alone! You need to tell us what's going on. We'll help you, King Xander!" She replies, and by then, Xander wasn't himself.

Unfortunately for them, they didn't notice Queen Ophelia's hand begin to move and twitch on his own volition. The twitches slowly became convulsions, and by then, they only got worse and worse.

Xander noticed first, especially since he was the one who was closest to Ophelia, and his eyes widened as soon as Ophelia's body slowly came to a stand and poured blood out of the gaping hole in her chest. A small set of gasps and groans rose from the bowels of her throat as if she was in immense agony, but the grip on her golden spear was still as tight as ever. 

Mu and Bonnibel were picked up and carried off by DJ Grooves to somewhere safe in the meantime, probably underneath a table. Conductor Archibald followed close behind, and wiped away some blood that still trickled out of his nostril. It was practically a miracle that Ophelia didn't notice the movement, but her attention was dead set on Xander as he held Louis' dead body, almost like she relished in it.

Her eyes glowed red and were clouded, almost like she had gone blind by the sheer brightness of the Time Piece's magic. Her nostrils flared as the light began piercing through them, and she opened her mouth into an "O" shape. The red, glowing light was equally as bright, but what was even worse was that the red color managed to pulsate underneath her skin and broke a few blood vessels. Her veins popped out on her arms, neck, and legs from the sheer power and strength she withheld inside her body, and for a moment, she convulsed again, and only then began to inhumanely screech as loud as possible, like something dangerous and horrible took control.

For the first time in his life, Xander was petrified. He couldn't move, he couldn't speak, he didn't even breathe. All he could do was watch the female guard unsheathe her sword and protect the king by blocking any and all attacks that the queen would unleash on everyone, but whoever or _whatever_ was harboring themselves inside the queen's body was still trying to get used to controlling someone who's only weapon was a heavy golden spear.

"S-Stay away!" The female guard exclaimed as she swung at the possessed queen. "Everyone, protect the king at all costs!" Three of the other guards surrounded Ophelia as well, but they weren't too keen on attacking a soulless version of the woman who they thought they could trust. They also weren't too happy that she was glowing red either. 

Her undead corpse was jealous that her ex-husband was alive and she wasn't. Her eyes narrowed and her mouth opened and closed as if trying to speak, but she let her spear do the talking. 

Twirling it and getting into a battle-stance, the ex-queen began attacking the guards to get to Xander, all while gasping for air and screaming his name, or at least trying to. The wound on her chest wasn't helping with her movements very much, but it certainly wasn't bothering her. 

Simultaneously attacking the queen all at once, the guards rose their weapons high as she dodged them with ease and seemingly began to laugh with every step she took. The three other guards fell to the floor almost instantaneously. Blocking every swipe of a sword that came her way, she made a mad dash towards Xander with her spear aiming directly at his chest. The power inside her only continued to grow and her grip on the spear began to loosen, but she was still menacing nonetheless.

"Aw, look at you." Xander whispered to himself. It didn't phase Ophelia too much. "You're a monster, Ophelia. And you don't even know it."

"King Xander! _"_ The female guard shouted, then made a mad dash towards the queen with her other guards at her side.

Xander braced himself for the impact of the spear by closing his eyes and breathing in slowly. He was almost hopeful that he would see Louis in whatever kind of afterlife lay ahead, but he was too scared of dying to think of what the world would look like without him in it. All he could do was imagine his daughter's face one last time. Her smile, her laugh... the day he held her in his arms for the first time when she was born. 

Anything to take his mind off the pain of being stabbed through the chest, if he could help it.

"Father!" Hat Kid's voice broke through the quiet, and the spear bounced off a shield. The hit never came.

Blinking open his eyes, he saw his daughter before him, with her back turned. Her brown hair flowed with energy, each tiny strand of hair seemed to have a mind of its own, or, to put it more simply, her hair moved as if she was underwater. Blue light pulsated underneath her skin just like her mother, but Hat Kid didn't seem to be in pain. With her arms stretched out at her sides, she created a prismatic bubble around herself and her father to keep them safe from the blow.

Unfortunately for the guards, Hat Kid sent them somewhere safe the second she made impact into the castle. She could see into the future now, so even if Ophelia was going to swing the spear, Hat Kid would be ready to block her attacks like they were nothing.

Ophelia was forced to the floor and had to struggle to get up all over again, which bought Hat Kid some time to give her father instructions. 

"Seraphina...?" Xander says, almost like he couldn't believe what he was seeing. His own daughter absorbed all of her Time Pieces in order to keep her friends and family safe. 

With a proud smile, Hat Kid looks over her shoulder and undoes the shield as she charges up a beam of energy. "Go take Louis' body and hide with DJ Grooves and the others! This is my fight, father... I... I have to do this alone. In order to make the red Time Piece exude out of Ophelia's corpse, I need to force it out of her... And I wanted my revenge-"

"The only thing I will do is keep Louis' body safe from harm," Xander says as he picks up his corpse, but he doesn't look too happy by what his daughter said, "I'm going to fight with you. That witch killed Louis, she harmed you needlessly, and what's worse... she committed nuclear genocide on the Moon Colony. No, my dear princess," He continues, lying Louis onto the floor with DJ Grooves, "This is _our_ fight. We're getting our revenge together."

Getting into a battle stance, Xander's green eyes were cold and calculated as he unsheathed his dagger from its holster as he began walking to his daughter's side. She wasn't against fighting by her father's side, but this entire adventure was about keeping him safe from harm, and here he was deliberately walking into danger. After all the trouble Ophelia caused, it was no wonder that Xander wanted to destroy this monster.

"Fine," Hat Kid replies as she twirls together a ball of blue energy with the palm of her hands; almost like she was charging it up to cause more damage, "But I get to deal with the red Time Piece myself!"

"I would be honored to let you get rid of her, once and for all. Do you have adventures like this all the time, sweetheart?" He asks as she continued to charge the ball of energy.

"Ophelia", or what was left of her, got to her feet once again, only this time she was much more skilled with how to walk in such horrible shape. Raising the spear into the air once more, she charged at her daughter with a furious expression on her face. She wasn't entirely blind, but the red light definitely made it harder for her to see. The light only grew brighter with every step she took, but Hat Kid was unfazed as she unleashed the bright ball of energy straight into Ophelia's face.

The heat from the ball of energy was almost like fire, or electricity as it broke away the skin and made the red light grow dimmer as she held her head in pain. Hat Kid wanted the light to escape Ophelia's body through the spear wound, but in order for that to happen, they would need to force it out of her.

Hat Kid was powerful enough to hold the red Time Piece's energy in the palm of her hands, but she had no idea if something as untamed as a Time Piece would be able to comply with her demands. "Talking" to something as powerful as a Time Piece wasn't something she normally did.

"Fortunately, no, I don't. And this is going to be the last adventure we're going to have for a long time. Okay? This was more than enough in my lifetime." She groaned out as she put her arms out to her side. A bead of sweat fell down the side of her head from expending so much of her energy in one day, but she wiped it away almost immediately.

As her father used his dagger to open the gaping hole in Ophelia's chest even wider, a prismatic shield bubbled around her father to keep him safe from any oncoming attacks. "Don't worry, Seraphina, I can assure you that once I get put back into power, Sehan will be your home again."

In turn, the red light grew smaller and smaller, even as Ophelia shook around the spear to get him off of her. The Time Piece's hold on Ophelia was loosening, so even though she was powerful enough to bring down an entire city in her wake, her top priority was getting rid of her daughter and ex-husband first... which was a huge mistake on her part.

DJ Grooves couldn't believe they were having such a normal conversation while fighting what used to be a human being turned ferocious and possessed by a literal Time Piece. Mu and Bonnibel couldn't believe it either, but said nothing. They just wanted to go home and leave Sehan behind, but they couldn't do that until Hat Kid changed reality.

Running to her father's side, Hat Kid attempted to grab the spear as he held her down as Ophelia thrashed around on the floor. The blunt end of the spear narrowly missed Hat Kid's head by practically a milometer if she hadn't pulled her head back in time, but as Xander punched her in the jaw, she just stopped. Hat Kid pulled the spear out of Ophelia's grip and threw it off to the side as she checked on her mother's possessed form. Obviously this wasn't much of a battle, especially since her mother was being controlled by an outside entity that had never moved around before, much less fought, but the less they had to fight her mother, the better.

It didn't help that there was little to no magic involved either. Hat Kid absorbed her timeless purely for defense and the ability to have enough strength to hold the red Time Piece in her hands without it going haywire.

The red Time Piece's energy continued to eerily glow out of Ophelia's eyes, nose, and mouth, but something seemed... off about the hole thing. Despite the power disappearing underneath her skin, it seems all the light traveled through her body and only continued to shine brighter and brighter where her face used to be before it turned into a lamp. It was almost like someone flipped a switch and put the light on the brightest setting and just left it like that.

"Se...ra...phi...na." Ophelia tried to say, but anyone could tell her mouth was on fire, and her throat was dry. "Xa...Xander. I'm scared." She spoke slowly and took her time to pronounce the words, but it's not like anyone would have wanted to listen. "It... _hurrrrrts._ " The voice of Ophelia was replaced with that awful extraterrestrial bellowing kind of sound that made Hat Kid cover her ears.

A beam of red energy shot up towards the ceiling as it exploded into the ball of energy as it exited Ophelia's face in a grand display, but no one wanted to look. Ophelia no longer glowed red... she was truly dead and gone. As quickly as they paid attention to Ophelia, they forgot about her. Hat Kid took the red ball of energy in one hand and came to Louis' side.

"Is it... over?" Bonnibel asked as DJ Grooves climbed out from under the table and tablecloth.

"I suppose it is." Conductor Archibald replied as he carried Mu out from under the table as well.

Hat Kid checks Louis' pulse by putting two fingers against his wrist and pressing down with a hopeful look on her face. Biting her lip, she narrows her eyes and hopes that whatever she did... it worked. Her plan was simple enough for the universe to work in her favor anyway, but it didn't hurt to worry about it failing. 

There was no heartbeat. His skin was starting to grow cold alongside the paleness of his skin, and Hat Kid grimaced a little once she realized that he really was dead and gone. It almost didn't seem real that he was alive less than an hour ago, either. 

"Well, Seraphina? Are you able to bring Snatcher back?" Xander asks with noticeable distress. 

There's a possibility to bring Snatcher back to life through Louis, but that would also mean that Louis would have never existed in the other dimension. To put it simply, Snatcher would have to die all over again and have his soul escape through Louis' corpse in order for the resurrection to work. Much like The Tale of Queen Vanessa, the body is left behind, but Snatcher's soul remains intact. Hat Kid just had no idea if he would remember anyone or anything, but it didn't hurt to try.

"I'm not going to send us back to the alternate dimension. I'm going to alter reality, but only slightly. Mother already did most of the work, such as rebuilding Sehan back to its originally glory and bringing the Moon Colony back to life. All I need to do is tell that red Time Piece what I want, and it'll provide it. It's been used up quite enough." Hat Kid replies as her hands cup themselves around the glowing red light. It burns brighter as soon as she stares down at it, almost like it wants to know what wish she wanted to make come true.

Conductor Archibald puts his elbow on DJ Grooves' shoulder and nods Hat Kid's direction. "Whenever you're ready, lassie. We can't wait to go home and have everything go back to normal."

Sighing, Hat Kid whispers to the red Time Piece's energy and says, "First off, I would like my Time Piece's back; _all_ of them. I don't need this kind of power in me 24/7. Additionally, I would like Mu's, Bonnibel's, and my own ages to revert back to normal. I would like Mu's orange eye back in the alternate reality, and I would like Bonnibel's arm to be fixed and no longer broken. My father, Xander, will be put in charge of Sehan, and I can assure you that he will be a wonderful king." 

The red ball of energy flickers brighter as she smiles. 

"I would also like DJ Grooves to revert back into a Moon Penguin, and I would like Conductor Archibald to revert back into a..." She hesitated. "He's not an owl, but he looks like one? A little bit? He wants to turn back into what he once was. And now, Louis." Hat Kid's brows furrow together as she shows the ball of light Louis' body, and it flickers once again. "This is Louis. In the alternate reality, Louis was a prince who was turned into a big and purple spirit by Queen Vanessa. We were hoping if alongside with everyone else, you allow Louis to come back as his ghostly self. He... He's supposed to be my step-dad. He rules the Subcon Forest. Can you do that for us? Please?"

Without even hesitating, the red ball of energy floats out of her hands and grows brighter and brighter as Hat Kid begins to float alongside it. Everyone else, hesitantly, begin to float into the air along with them, but Xander caught Louis' body in his arms and held him close to his chest. The room is coated in a light red as the ball of energy does as its told, and in a brilliant explosion, coats the entire universe in a brilliant red shade.

Staring at her father one last time before being sent into the alternate reality, Hat Kid mouths an, "I love you, father." 

Xander could not be anymore proud of his daughter at this very moment. She saved everyone and did it all without batting an eye; All while being so young and scared... she pushed through fear and became a hero. A true hero. He would never let Seraphina, no... He would never let Hat Kid be all alone ever again. He and Snatcher were going to be her father's now, and they would give her all the love and attention she could ever hope for.

With a big smile on his face, Xander replies, "I love you too, sweetheart." as the entire universe was engulfed in white, and everything changed for the better.

* * *

{Three months later}

Dashing through the streets of Mafia Town with Mustache Girl and Bow Kid on their scooters, the Mafia Goons gasped and groaned as their honking forced them to take a step back if they wanted to get run over. Mustache Girl threw a can of peas at one of the Mafia Goons and managed to bonk him on the head as he tried to chase after the three children, but he wasn't fast enough. Mustache Girl laughed maniacally as he fell to the floor into a cloud of dust as the three of them sped off to pick on yet another goon before it got dark.

"Hey, Bow Kid? Wanna race?" Mustache Girl offered. "How about you Hat Kid? Or are you guys too scared of losing?"

"Scared?" Bow Kid replied back, "I'm going to win against you if it's the last thing I do!" 

Speeding off, Bow Kid laughed as she made her scooter rev up and practically fly down the streets of Mafia Town, leaving Mustache Girl and Hat Kid in her wake.

"Wha- Hey! I'm the only one allowed to be in first!" Mustache Girl shouted as she sped off.

"Wait for me!" Hat Kid caught up with Mustache Girl pretty quickly and honked her horn as she drove past Mustache Girl.

They were all reverted back to their original ages and their wounds never existed in the first place, but their memories of what happened back on Sehan remained despite their best wishes.

It's been three months since Xander was brought back to life and Ophelia had died, but it didn't phase Hat Kid too much, much to her surprise. She found her family in the friends she made along the way, and she was more than happy to spend time with her friends over being a princess. Hat Kid would much rather drive her scooter around Mafia Town with her friends and pick on the goons that resided there, or go swimming in the perfect ocean water on the little beach near the cave door. 

Most of the time, anyway.

Aside from spending time with her friends in Mafia Town or Nyakuza Metro, they occasionally visited the Conductor and DJ Grooves at their Movie Studio. From there, Mustache Girl and Hat Kid would congratulate Bow Kid on being the movie studio's next big star, and watch their movies over and over with the Express Owls and the Moon Penguins, almost like it was a movie night between directors and their cast.

Then, there was her father back on Sehan who accepted her company with open arms. Since Snatcher spent most of his time ruling the Subcon Forest and allowing Hat Kid to attempt his advanced contracts on her spaceship, Snatcher would never hesitate to come along with his adopted daughter on her trips to Sehan when she found time. Of course, the kingdom was still trying to get used to a giant purple ghost as their other king, but they weren't against it. Especially not when Xander was the happiest he had been in ages with Snatcher.

This also meant that Snatcher had to retire from his soul snatching duties back at the Subcon Forest, but he still captured a soul here and there without anyone being the wiser.

King Xander enjoyed visiting the planet where his daughter met all her friends as well, despite being one of the few humans. 

Something was off about those Mafia Goons... either they all looked the same because they were related to each other, or there was an entire race of _Mafia Goon_ that somehow planted on an island in the middle of nowhere.

King Xander often visited the Subcon Forest when he had time, and that time was spent exploring the forest with Snatcher and playing with the Subconites with Hat Kid at his side. There was always moments where Xander and Snatcher just wanted to be alone and spent time together in Snatcher's tree, so Hat Kid let them have their alone time and did chores around the Subcon Village.

Her father missed her so much, but he knew that she's been exploring the galaxy for as long as she could remember, so he didn't grow nervous every time she was away. She had Snatcher taking care of her as well, after all. 

Hat Kid also had her friends, so she always found time to play with them whenever possible.

* * *

"I still can't believe you managed to hit that goon right on the head! You have great aim, Mustache Girl!" Bow Kid complimented as she picked up another cookie from the plate and took a bite.

"Yeah! Although, you did hit that seagull though-" Hat Kid tried to say.

"Shhh! We don't talk about the seagull..."

"Hat Kid, it's time for bed. And you two brats, playtime's over. Get out of the spaceship before I force you out." Snatcher commands over the intercom.

Mustache Girl got to her feet and scoffed as soon as Snatcher's ghostly form went through the hallway from Hat Kid's bedroom to the HUB. "What? Already? But that's not fair, we literally just got here!"

"Please, Mr. Snatcher, five more minutes? We promise we'll behave." Bow Kid pleads as she puts her palms together. 

"Dad... At least let us finish the cookies? And then they can leave?" Hat Kid offers, and Snatcher crosses his arms and narrows his eyes. 

The three kids stared up at Snatcher with big eyes and a pout as they huddled together with Hat Kid in the middle. Bow Kid and Mustache Girl were on the sides as they held her close.

"No. Your father is expecting our arrival tomorrow and I can't have you hopped up on sugar from those cookies. He'd scold me more than he would scold you, little lady. Now come on," He groans as he picks her up, "Tell your friends goodbye. It's time for bed." 

Hat Kid stares down at Mustache Girl and Bow Kid as Snatcher holds her close, and sighs. "Bye, guys! We should have another race soon!" 

Mustache Girl swipes some cookies and puts them in her hoodie pocket. "Hm? Oh, yeah, sounds good. I'm always up for ruining the lives of Mafia Goons."

"Have fun with your dad tomorrow! Make sure to tell him I said hi." Bow Kid giggled as she grabbed a cookie and hid it in her pocket. "We should make time to hang out soon."

With a wave, Hat Kid ordered her spaceship to teleport Bow Kid back to Nyakuza Metro and teleport Mustache Girl back to Mafia Town, and Snatcher and Hat Kid were alone.

"Alright, kiddo. Come on, you need to be well-rested for the trip tomorrow." He says, carrying her to her bedroom.

"But I'm not even tired yet, dad! Please, can't I stay up just a little longer? What about one more cookie? I promise I'll behave." Hat Kid bargained, but Snatcher shook his head as he sported that Jack O'Lantern grin.

"Just because you're cute doesn't mean you're going to sway me with your honeyed words. Nope, save that for your father, Seraphina." Snatcher replied, and Hat Kid spoke up.

"We're going to visit my father tomorrow, Snatcher! Don't forget to pack some luggage for the trip, okay?" Hat Kid said excitedly. As Snatcher tucked her into bed, he nods and chuckles a little as he realizes that Hat Kid was far from sleepy.

"Yeah, yeah, otherwise Xander will be on my case about it. Goodnight, kiddo. Make sure to get enough sleep for tomorrow, okay?" Snatcher ruffled her brown hair and gave her a peck on the cheek, but he had no lips to kiss her with, so all he could do was nudge her in the face and make a noise with his mouth. 

Giggling, Hat Kid wiped her cheek with her hand and snuggled back into bed as Snatcher sat in his usual spot near her pile of pillows. Getting out a book and flipping to the last page her was on, Snatcher commenced the night mode cycle on his adoptive daughter's spaceship and allowed the lights to turn off for her much needed sleep.

"Fine. Night... ghost dad." She replied smugly, and the ghost playfully rolled his eyes once she called him by his familial nickname.

"Whatever happened to calling me your Contractually Obligated BFF, kid? Does that mean I'm free from our contract?" He joked.

Snuggling into the blankets, Hat Kid yawned and closed her eyes. "No matter what happens, you'll always be my BFF. Whether you like it or not."

"Hmph, that's just fine with me, Seraphina. Sweet dreams."

{The End}


	10. Epilogue: Pick Your Favorite

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hat Kid and Snatcher visit King Xander on Sehan in the final chapter of Settle For Less. Being a new father, Snatcher tries to be the Fun Dad, whereas King Xander tries to be the Responsible Father. Arguments ensue when the two of them fight for their daughter's attention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading this story/following along with the series. It really means so much to me that people can find time to read my fan-fictions with as much enthusiasm as I do when I write them! This is the epilogue and the last chapter to the From the Stars - A Hat in Time series, so there is little to no chance of me writing another story that belongs to it. But I wanted to say: Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, reader. You allowed me to write a story that everyone could enjoy, and I am honestly eternally grateful for that.
> 
> Until next time!

The welcome ceremony was in full swing as soon as Hat Kid's spaceship entered the planet's atmosphere and deployed the landing gear as soon as she reached the airstrip. Snatcher was there beside her and stared out the window towards Xander's kingdom with his usual grin, but the kingdom was a little different since the last time they've seen it. Tall, towering buildings were currently under construction in the distance, but Hat Kid had no idea what they were for.

 _Apartment buildings for the less fortunate?_ She wondered as she made the finishing touches on landing her ship. She had no idea what those buildings were for, but she could ask her father about it later when she had time.

Coming to a complete stop and parking her ship, Hat Kid looked up at Snatcher as he gave her a proud pat on the back, even though she's done this more times than than they could count. "Great job, kiddo. Those flying lessons of yours are really coming in handy, huh?"

Excitedly hopping out of her pilot's chair, Hat Kid uses her right hand to wave towards her subjects as they cheered for her and Snatcher's arrival. "Your words of _encouragement_ help me a lot too!" She commented, then mimicked Snatcher's voice. "Watch out for that planet! You're flying the ship all wrong! You're tilting a little, kiddo... Does this thing have insurance, cause I don't want to pay for repairs on _your_ ship! When are you going to learn to parallel park? I don't think you-"

" _Uugghh_ , yes, I get it, Hat Kid, I'm a dad who thinks your flying is 2.5 stars out of 5. I'm just glad your father is the one who's teaching you to fly and I just have to sit around and comment on menial things that irk me." Snatcher groaned out, but Hat Kid only laughed as she stared out the giant glass window.

As Hat Kid looked for her father amongst the crowd, Snatcher picked up her suitcase in one hand and held her left hand with the other. She held his hand tightly as the crowd continued to wave and cheer, yet despite the kingdom welcoming their king and princess back to Sehan, Hat Kid and Snatcher had the more important task of looking for Xander amongst the seemingly endless groups of guards protecting the royal family.

Snatcher's golden necklace moved against his transparent body as he adjusted his grip on the suitcase, and he found himself staring at the diamond nonchalantly. He knew a ring or a bracelet would slip right off his finger or wrist if he wore one, especially since it was so tiny, so he wanted to stick to jewelry that wouldn't fall off as easily. He thought the pendant looked better on him anyway, plus the necklace was large enough to be noticed. 

"Father taught me everything I need to know about flying!" Her blue eyes scanned the tarmac despite the glare of the sun. "Oh, oh! I think I see him now!" Hat Kid exclaimed as she let go of her dad's hand and burst open the glass door as she the ship in a hurry.

"Now hold on-" Snatcher tried to say, but she was already running towards her father without a care in the world. Sighing, he follows and shuts the glass door behind him and ensures that it's locked so that no one was able to sneak inside. The seemingly endless crowd of people cheered as soon as their king and their princess disembarked the spaceship, and Snatcher tried to smile as she caught up with his daughter despite the unnecessary attention. He was rarely used to this type of welcome ceremony, especially since he spent all of his time alone in the Subcon Forest and away from such a bright planet.

Multicolored confetti burst out of cannons and some subjects threw rose petals into the air as they flew away in the wind, but Snatcher still felt grateful and waved as he floated towards Xander and his daughter.

Snatcher would have liked it better if Xander visited the Subcon Forest again and spent time with the Subcon Dwellers, but Snatcher and Xander both made an agreement that in order to give their daughter variety in their visits, they would each visit the Subcon Forest for a week and return Xander to Sehan once the week was over and stay there. Unfortunately for the small family, this was only when they could find time to actually visit one another without being insanely busy with ruling. The longest they were ever away from each other was almost a month, and that was mainly because Hat Kid ate some bad vendor food in Nyakuza Metro with Bow Kid and ended up sick for about a week.

Unfortunately for the vendor cats, The Empress quickly dealt with them and they were never heard from again, so Hat Kid's and Bow Kid's stomachs were going to be safe from under-cooked food for a long time as long as The Empress was around. 

Hat Kid didn't have to be with her parents 24/7 since she was already alone for most of her early life, but she still wanted to visit her friends every once in a while and explore Mafia Town, the Movie Studio, the Subcon Forest, Alpine Skyline, Nyakuza Metro, and even go on a cruise if the captain is willing to forgive and forget about the last cruise-ship accident that ruined everyone's vacation. And yet, despite the desire for alone time, Snatcher always somehow manages to follow her and inconspicuously keep her safe from harm whenever she may need to be rescued. 

There on the tarmac was her father, Xander, with his head held high and his arms behind his back as he waited for his daughter's and his husband's departure from the spaceship. From behind his back, he fiddled with the gold ring on his left hand and caressed the diamond as he watched his daughter sprint out of the spaceship with her arms stretched out wide. A red crown laid atop his blonde mess of hair and the jewels glistened in the early morning sun, and if he wasn't careful, it would have slipped right off as soon as he jogged to catch up with her.

Outstretching one of his arms and keeping his crown upright with the other, Xander got on one knee and laughed as his daughter slammed into his chest and gave him a hug. "Aww," He breathed out as he picked her up into his arms, "There's my pretty little princess! How are you, Seraphina? Oh goodness, I missed you so much. You didn't give Snatcher too much trouble, did you?"

"Nope!" Hat Kid replied with a giggle as her father playfully gave her a kiss on the nose. "I made sure to behave until I got here, father!"

"Actually," Snatcher piped up as soon as he came to Xander's side, "Seraphina snuck off her spaceship to beat up some Mafia Goons with Mustache Girl when she was supposed to be _sleeping_... And she got grounded from visiting her for awhile." Placing the suitcase onto the floor, he allowed a guard to pick it up and carry it to Hat Kid's room in the meantime as he held Xander and Hat Kid close.

"Dad! You promised not to tell father about that!" Hat Kid whined out, and a few of the guards laughed when she tried to make him stop talking.

Snatcher smiled smugly and continued ratting out his daughter on her disobedience. "There's also that time where you and Bow Kid explored Queen Vanessa's Manor and I had to save your lives-"

"Okay! Okay, I get it. So I wasn't _well-behaved_ but at least I'm... you know... behaved in general." Hat Kid huffed, then crossed her arms and ignored her parents' laughter, but she found the corners of her mouth curling into a smile.

"How have you been doing by the way, Xander? Nothing out of the ordinary?" Snatcher asked calmly, almost entirely paying attention to Xander and ignoring everything else, like the sounds of the people making way for the royal family and the spaceships embarking into the sky. Snatcher followed Xander as he walked between the crowd with Hat Kid in his arms. She was currently waving towards her subjects and blew them kisses once she was given a bouquet of freshly cut flowers in the meantime.

A few of the guards were at their side, but they knew there wasn't any need for them since Snatcher towered over them with ease. Plus, he was a _spirit_ , so Snatcher needed little to no protection. But he was still the king of Sehan, and Hat Kid and Xander were equally as important since they weren't immortal like he was.

Snatcher's glowing yellow eyes softened as he looked into Xander's green ones as he gave him a kiss on the lips, which Xander accepted almost immediately. "Nothing of note, my dear. My kingdom has been flourishing since I saw you two last. Hm," Xander played with Snatcher's necklace with a small smile and maintained eye contact with the diamond, but Snatcher had to hunch over a little bit so Xander wouldn't have to get on stand on his toes to make himself taller in front of his kingdom. Xander laughs. "My, you seem to be taking extra special care of this diamond necklace I gave you... I'm glad you like it, Snatcher."

"I don't just like it! I love it, Xander! It's a symbol of our bond, after all. We're married..." Snatcher chuckled out, but he was rarely one to deliberately use nicknames, "I never would have thought I would die in two universes and gain a husband and an adopted daughter out of it, but I'm not complaining. Sehan certainly looks a lot livelier since we had the wedding ceremony."

Xander put Hat Kid onto the ground and allowed her to walk beside them and chat with the guards, then continues to have a conversation with Snatcher about the wedding. "Cooking Cat is an extraordinary cook for being born without opposable thumbs, isn't she? Mm, I still have dreams about that cake she baked us... Unfortunately Mustache Girl thought it would be funny to sneak a few pieces of it and share with Hat Kid and Bow Kid _before_ the ceremony... But enough about that. I'm just glad you two are here with me now. How's the Subcon Forest?"

"The Subcon Forest isn't as lively without us around. My minions don't really know what to do once I leave but uh... Moon Jumper always offers to watch over the forest while the kid and I are gone so Vanessa doesn't steal it from me... So everything should be fine. If I come back and it isn't all fine and dandy... well, Moon Jumper and Vanessa have another thing coming to them. I'll make them pay." He sneered as if he could already imagine his entire forest being coated with ice by Queen Vanessa, and Moon Jumper kidnapping the Subcon Dwellers left and right to live in the sky with him.

Xander's arm interlocked with Snatcher's own arm and tried to calm him down by nudging him. "Now, Snatcher, I think the only one you need to worry about is Vanessa. Moon Jumper and Bow Kid explored your forest most of the time I was there. I'm sure that he's doing a fine job protecting your forest. But for now," Xander stopped mid-sentence to grab a bouquet of flowers from a citizen, to which he bowed politely and continued, "For now, you should be relaxing and having fun with your family!"

Snatcher didn't reply, but he nodded to ensure that Xander understood what he meant. The two kings continued walking towards the castle and watched Hat Kid make small-talk with the guard.

"So, what kind of plans does my father have in store for us this week?" Hat Kid asks, hoping to gain a snippet of the exciting days already planned ahead that she could spend with her family.

The guard puts a finger to her lips and winks with a smirk. "It's a secret~! Orders from the king himself, princess. But your fathers both wanted to give you something."

"Father! Dad!" Hat Kid exclaimed as she turned back towards them. "You have a surprise for me? Can you give me a hint?" 

In turn, Xander blinked his green eyes and quizzically tilted his head to the side. "We don't have the faintest idea as to what you're talking about, sweetheart." 

"Yes you do! The guard just told me you have a surprise for me!"

"Now, kiddo, would you please try to contain your excitement? I understand you want to know what it is but you're making a fuss." Snatcher scolded, but due to her sudden adrenaline, she didn't seem to pay much attention.

Making it to the grand castle doors, Xander and Snatcher waved towards their kingdom while Hat Kid jumped up and down in excitement. It seems like she complete ignored them, even while holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Surprise? Hm, no, you must be hearing things." Her father chuckled out, and Snatcher snickered towards the female guard who shyly walked off after realizing she let the surprise slip out. 

"I'm not hearing things! The guard just told me!" Hat Kid pointed towards the air where the guard had resided, but she had already disappeared before apologizing.

"Oh, did she now?" Snatcher butted in with some snark.

"Yes, she did! She's right over- What?" Hat Kid tried to say, but her excitement all but dispersed as soon as the guard was no longer in her sight.

Her father, who had been suppressing nothing but a chuckle, suddenly let out a guffaw and wiped away a forming tear in his eye. "Okay, we should head inside the castle now, Seraphina. Wave our citizens goodbye and feel free to explore the castle while waiting for dinner! Snatcher and I are going to bring your suitcase up to your room and unpack your belongings. Oh, and be a dear and put those flowers in water, please. Thanks in advance, darling."

Before she could beg her father and dad to tell her what the surprise is, Snatcher opened the door and they walked inside the foyer while talking amongst themselves about how they've been since being gone. Without another word, Hat Kid waved towards the dispersing crowd and dashed off to find a vase and some water which she could use to keep her busy until she and her family could eat. Exploring the castle was also an interesting possibility, but she's explored almost every single room and hallway more times than she could count, so she figured that maybe this week was time for a change. The garden seemed like an interesting place to start, so Hat Kid made a mental note of it and got to work.

* * *

Placing the suitcase onto a nearby chair, Snatcher undid the draw-bolt latch and opened it up to put away Hat Kid's clothes and some things she found around the world in case her father wanted to hear about them. It wasn't anything special, aside from her dyed outfits and her yellow raincoat just in case it rained while they were visiting Sehan. Some of her artifacts include a stolen violin prop from the Movie Studio, some sand, seawater, and seashells inside of a glass flask that was most likely from one of Mafia Town's coastlines, and... one the Empress' prized jewelry; a ring with a giant red ruby. Snatcher rolled his eyes and grumbled to himself since he would need to return the ring at some point, and that the Empress was searching high and low for it. Rummaging around in the suitcase to pick out her clothes to hang them up in the closet, Snatcher draped them over his arm as he took them out and unfolded them.

Meanwhile, Xander was making the finishing touches on her bedspread by flattening it out and getting rid of any creases. He then fluffed some pillows and made sure to adjust her childhood plushies so that they would be upright, and noticed the presents Hat Kid had in store for him inside the suitcase. Tilting his head and inspecting his presents, he chortled once he picked up the flask filled with stuff from the ocean and gave it a shake. He watched the sand, water, and shells swirl around with interested eyes, but didn't comment on it. He did, however, notice the violin and the ring, but went to pick up the ring first.

"Did Seraphina buy this for me? It's quite a beautiful ring but I don't need one." Xander says, but Snatcher grabs it before his husband could get his finger-prints on it. "W-What's wrong?"

"Don't touch it. It belongs to a crime-lord named The Empress, and apparently Seraphina stole it from her without permission. Those other two brats probably dared her to steal it without The Empress knowing, so now I have to be the one to give it back before that dumb cat hunts her down again." Snatcher vents to Xander in frustration, then swiftly finishes hanging up Hat Kid's clothes and tosses the ring back into the suitcase with little to no care.

Xander chuckles and picks up the violin instead, then begins to play as he begins to calm Snatcher down. Harmoniously, Xander rubs the bow against the violin's strings and presses the tips of his fingers down onto the fingerboard and begins to play a solemn song from his childhood that he forgot the name of, but it was still soothing to the ears. Xander began to speak as he continued to play the violin. "Oh come now, Snatcher, Seraphina is only a child. Mustache Girl and Bow Kid are children as well, don't call them brats."

Snatcher grumbled and looked away with crossed arms as he sat on the bed, and Xander quickly followed suit as he continued to play. His green eyes didn't make eye contact with Snatcher's big yellow ones, but Xander gave him a quick glance as he continued to put the violin to good use. "You know I love our daughter and her friends equally, but you have to discipline them every once in a while, otherwise they'll going to be stubborn and hard to work with when they're older. And that doesn't mean only Seraphina should be scolded, I want you to be Mustache Girl's and Bow Kid's guardians as well, even if they have other people in their lives. We love Seraphina, but she needs to be disciplined so she doesn't get into more trouble than she already does, alright?"

"I mean, yeah, I know... but... I'm supposed to be the fun dad! I clean up after her mistakes! So what? I love her too, even if she can be a little obnoxious." Snatcher replied, somewhat listening to the violin's sound and Xander's ranting both at the same time. "This is my one chance at being the dad I never got to be as a human."

"Well yes, but unlike yourself, I'm actually a responsible father and if it weren't for me, Seraphina would be doing something dangerous." He somewhat regrets saying that out-loud once he notices Snatcher's eyes begin to narrow, and he messes up a note on the violin. "I didn't mean that." 

"Then why don't we make a deal, _sugar_?" Snatcher offers up, and Xander abruptly stops playing once he hears a new nickname. He knew Snatcher would surprise him with something new, but Xander never would of thought he would make him sign a contract to see which one of them was the better parent.

"Go ahead then; I'm all ears, dear." Xander almost mumbles as Snatcher gets off the bed and stares down at his husband with an expression of almost too much enthusiasm. Xander finds himself shrinking back against the wall and nervously laughs a little. Placing the violin and its bow onto the dresser, Xander watches Snatcher snap his clawed fingers.

"Great!" Manifesting a contract and quill out of thin air and making them float into Xander's hands, Snatcher begins to explain his idea. "Here's how this is going to work. You and I are going to be competing to see who can make Hat Kid say _I love you_ by the end of the day. If she says _I love you, father_ , then you win and I'll try to be a more responsible and disciplinary dad to her and her friends whenever they get in trouble. But, if I win and she says _I love you, dad_ , then you have to be less commanding and allow her and her friends to enjoy their childhood while they can, even if they get into tons of trouble. I've already stamped it and everything, so all that's left is for you to sign it. No soul distribution required! So what do you say, Xander? Are you in?"

Xander didn't really want to compete with his own husband to earn his daughter's affection, but this was somewhat "wholesome family fun", even if Hat Kid didn't know about it. The competition couldn't be _that_ bad. After all, Snatcher was used to creating contracts, but the thought of coming up with a plan to get his daughter to say he loved him was a bit of a stretch. He just had to outwit his ghostly husband, simple as that. Reading the details once more, Xander questioningly taps the feathery end of the quill against his chin.

"...What happens if I say no to this little competition?" Xander asks, raising his brow.

"Then I win by forfeit. It says so right there at the bottom." Snatcher replies with a big grin, pointing at the paper with a transparent, clawed finger.

Xander sighs. "Oh, fine." He gives up and signs the contract using his name in Sehan's alien language, and the paper in his hand rolls up and flies into Snatcher's fist. "You do realize I intend to win, don't you, dear?"

Promptly catching on fire with purple flames, the contract disappears once it has been sealed and Snatcher shakes Xander's hand.

"I guess we have ourselves a deal. Don't expect me to go easy on you, sugar; I like to cheat." Before Xander could respond to Snatcher's witty response, Snatcher gave him a quick kiss and began to leave the room. "Now, where's our little princess?"'

* * *

To say that Hat Kid's clothes, hair, and face were filthy was a complete understatement. Almost her entire body was covered in a muddy sludge that could only come from the garden as if it had flooded from a years worth of rainfall, but if Snatcher squinted really hard, Hat Kid reminded him of the "slimy space alien" that ravaged Mafia Town during one of his contracts. No, unfortunately for her parents and the maids, she decided to take the chores into her own hands and water the plants/flowers, bushes and trees using the castle hose and sprinkler. Not only did she flood the garden from the amount of water she used, she decided that the best course of action would be to grab some yellow shears and get to work clipping the stems and rescuing what little flowers made it through the flood. 

Because of this, Hat Kid had to stand in mud and quick-sand, sometimes missing her footing and falling without anything but the muddy and grassy ground to protect her. The only thing she kept safe was her top hat, but even then, it still managed to get soaked with mud. Her parents stared down at her with disappointment as she stood there cutely, all while holding a vase of perfectly healthy flowers she got from the florist and the castle garden. It was a nice gesture, of course, but this was the perfect opportunity to host a "Round One" in the competition between Snatcher and Xander, and they both knew it. 

As Hat Kid hung her head in shame and picked off little bits and pieces of leaves and twigs, as well as the occasional bug, Xander put his hand against his forehead and groaned as he saw the mess. "What did she do this time, ladies?" The vase was right by her side and filled to the brim with multi-colored flowers from the garden, and his eye involuntarily twitched.

"We're awfully sorry that we couldn't change her clothes in time before the two of you came downstairs, my kings... We found her outside like this while trying to add more flowers into the vase. Apparently she thought the flower arrangement could of looked better with plants from our own garden, which ultimately... um, ruined one of the only flower-patches we managed to salvage. All the other plants drowned from the extreme exposure to water, but the trees and bushes made it." The blonde haired maid said, bowing politely.

Her orange haired coworker nodded and bowed as well. "We're very sorry, we should have been keeping a better eye on the little princess, but we needed to tend to our chores and could not babysit."

"Glad to see you were having fun, kiddo! I guess you tried to act like a gardener and it didn't turn out so well for you, huh?" Snatcher asks his adopted daughter as he begins to encircle her muddy form like a snake. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you should just hop right back outside and clean off that mud using the sprinkler! It's much more entertaining than some stupid bath, right?"

Hat Kid tilted her head to the side as soon as her dad said this, then tried to explain what happened. "I tried to turn the water off, honest! But the spigot for the hose broke and I couldn't turn off the water so I had to save what little flowers I could find. Mud formed around the flowerbed and I slipped and fell... multiple times."

Snatcher blinked. "Yeah, but it was fun, right?"

"Snatcher, we are not going to be encouraging this type of behavior. Seraphina, go upstairs and have a bath, then we can all have lunch. What you did was unacceptable... I honestly can't believe that you would ruin the royal garden in less than an hour since you came here."

Hat Kid's blue eyes widened as he spoke, then twiddled her fingers together in regret. "I know. I'm sorry... I just wanted to make the vase look nice."

Xander found himself staring at Hat Kid and noticed she was shivering from the cold mud sticking to her clothes and body, then spoke up. "You could have gotten seriously hurt, though. Who knows what might've happened to you if the maids hadn't find out about what you were doing? You were using shears to clip the stems of flowers... One slip and those shears could have injured you terribly. I appreciate the sentiment, really, I do, but please do try to be more careful, Seraphina. Now, please, go have a bath. You're absolutely filthy."

Hat Kid sighs and blinks away some tears, then begins to trudge up the stairs with the maids by her side. "Okay, father." 

"Wait a minute, young lady!" Snatcher said as he got her attention. "Aren't you forgetting something else?" He had an oddly hopeful look in his eyes, almost like he was expecting her to say something to him rather than Xander.

"...Bye?" She replies, but it was more of a question than an actual answer. She looked back towards her father and her dad, then follows the maids upstairs to have a much needed bath with a look of confusion plastered on her face. It didn't take long for Snatcher and Xander to start bickering again as soon as their daughter disappeared up the staircase, but they began to argue in a whisper yell.

"You're despicable for not having a shred of concern for her well-being, you know that, dear?" Xander grumbles, just as his husband held him close and laughed while trying to cheer him up.

"The kid can take care of herself, Xander! She's been putting herself into dangerous situations from the moment I met her." He shrugged it off and began taking Xander outside and away from the mess. "Now then, I think it would be the perfect time to check on the surprise, don't you?"

* * *

With her hair and clothes washed and clean, Hat Kid walked to the dining room of Sehan's castle alone, aside from her growling stomach beckoning for her to quicken her pace so that she can have lunch before setting out with her parents again. But there was no denying it that something was definitely off about their behavior, and she didn't like it. Did they have a big fight while she was gone? Did Snatcher do something mischievous again? Did Xander call off the trip to the Subcon Forest next week? Hat Kid had no idea, but whatever sneaky plan these two were up to certainly wasn't good.

Maybe they were acting weird because of the surprise they had in store for Hat Kid?

"Hm..." Hat Kid sighed softly as she put her thumb and index finger to her chin in deep thought. 

Whatever it was, maybe she could ask them about it during lunch.

For now, she was nearing the dining hall doors and allowed the guards to salute the princess by slamming the spears against the marble floor and putting a hand to their hearts.

The male guard on the left, with an eye-patch covering his right eye, spoke in a low, guttural voice that caused Hat Kid's eyes to squint a little bit. "A pleasure to see you, Princess Seraphina. Your parents are awaiting your arrival in the dining hall as we speak. Do come in."

The other male guard said nothing, but they opened both doors to the dining hall and bowed to the princess with their eyes closed. It was almost like they became statues from how still they became.

Her father rose his glass of wine into the air and gave her a smile as they made eye contact. "Seraphina! I'm sure you must feel so refreshed after getting that bath, right? Why don't come on over and eat? Then we'll let you decide what you want to do for the rest of the day. I'm having pasta and wine, but you're having a grilled cheese and some juice. I know that's your favorite, and I wanted to apologize for my outburst earlier. Come! Sit next to us."

Snatcher was right beside his husband, albeit without food. The only thing he had in his hands was a book from the royal library, but Snatcher was seated in such a way that it was difficult for her to catch the name of what he was reading. All he did was wave and looked back down at his book, but he rushed out a, "Good to see ya." before getting back to the story.

Awkwardly, Hat Kid chuckled and walked into the dining hall and the doors closed right behind her with a click. Sitting in her usual seat, she realized just how barren the big table was without her friends sitting there with her. But her family was more than enough company as it was, so Hat Kid didn't feel like complaining. It still felt weird to see Snatcher without any food, even if he didn't want to eat in the first place. 

Could Snatcher eat? No one knew the answer to that, but as a spirit, he shouldn't and wouldn't get hungry. At least, that's what he's always told Xander and Hat Kid.

Staring down at her grilled cheese and hungrily picking it up, she takes a bite and lets out a, "Yum!" while chewing. "Thanks for letting the chefs know what I wanted to have for lunch, father!" 

Xander nods and takes another sip of wine. "You're welcome, Seraphina." Placing his palms together, Xander picks up a fork and begins to eat his pasta. "Now then, I think we should discuss what we would all like to do for the rest of the day. I haven't seen you two for a whole month since you got sick! Let's do something that allows us to be together without any distractions. Have any ideas, sweetheart? No rush, of course. There's still plenty of daylight."

"By the time she chooses where she wants to go it's going to be dusk-" Snatcher butts in in a snarky manner, and Hat Kid giggles a little.

" _Snatcher._ " Xander hisses at his husband, "You're not helping."

"If you want me to say that I'm sorry it's not going to happen, sugar."

"I just don't understand where this attitude is coming from-"

"What are you talking about? This is how I usually talk."

"Oh, what? So you just conveniently have a condescending tone in your voice?" Xander asks as he twirls his wine glass and watches the red liquid swirl around. A frown is adorning his lips as he maintains eye contact with something other than his husband.

"I'm a ghost, so yes. I thought we established this already, Xander."

"What? Since when? You've never told me that by being a ghost you're automatically frightening!"

"I told you when we got _married_. Is that wine you're drinking affecting your thinking or something? Can I just read my book in peace?"

Hat Kid swallows another bite of the grilled cheese and her eyebrows furrow together nervously as they continue to verbally lash out at one another. Holding the grilled cheese a little tighter, she quietly asks, "Are you guys okay?" She always hated seeing someone raise their voice at another, specifically when quarreling. Her bottom lip began to quiver as she risked speaking. "Are you two arguing because of what I did to the garden?" Her stomach dropped and she didn't really feel like eating anymore, so she put her grilled-cheese down onto the plate and wiped off her hands on a nearby napkin.

Immediately going back to normal, Xander and Snatcher realized that their daughter was worried about their relationship. This contract they signed was getting to their heads, and poor Hat Kid had no idea as to why they were acting like this. Hat Kid was awaiting a response to her questions by shuffling in her seat and furrowing her brows together. Her fathers knew that Hat Kid didn't want another Ophelia situation where her parents did nothing but argue with one another over menial things, so Xander and Snatcher had to act quick before she feared the worst.

Snatcher grumbled and closed his book while being mindful of the page he left on, then placed it gently onto the table. "Yes, we're fine. We're just a little on edge after being away from each other for a month. Sorry for speaking out of line."

Xander placed his wine glass onto the tablecloth and nods with a small smile. Caressing his daughter's cheek with his thumb and giving her a smile, he continues Snatcher's apology in his own words. "We're not mad at you for flooding the garden. Those old flowers were in need of a new look anyway." He flicked his wrist downwards and tried to laugh. "Besides, you still haven't answered the question. What should we do today?"

"Can we go hiking together in the wisteria forest? It's kind of like the Subcon Forest, just less... spooky." Hat Kid asks hopefully, and her father's look at each other.

"I think going hiking would be a perfect way to spend time together." Without any warning, Xander shoots up sends the chair falling to the floor, prompting Hat Kid's shoulders to tense up in surprise as her father begins to wolf down a few more bites of the past. "We should get going right now! Come on!"

Before Hat Kid could say anything, she was whisked off her chair as soon as her father picked her up and ran to the doors leading out of the dining room. "Come on, dear, we need to get going!"

Snatcher began to follow him and his daughter. "I thought I was supposed to be the fun dad..."

* * *

The trails of the forest were made by simply raking away some leaves and placing bricks into the ground to form a path, but it was still nice to explore the everlasting wisteria trees that towered above Xander and Hat Kid. Due to Snatcher's height, he occasionally floated into a nearby tree branch more than once since they arrived and swiped it away with his hand in annoyance. The trees were just lucky he didn't take his anger out on them, even he didn't feel pain in any shape or form from getting whacked by one. 

While her parents were side by side and enjoying the calmness of the forest, like listening to the wind blow through the trees or taking in the gorgeous grass and bushes, Hat Kid was running off the path and kicking the piles of leaves around as she giggled. Xander was holding onto Snatcher's arm as they watched their daughter have her own fun, but she asked questions that a child would always wonder about, but never have the answer to.

"Why is a tree made out of wood? Does it know we use it to make furniture out of it? Is it in pain when we chop it down-" 

"Sehan doesn't use wisteria trees as their source of lumber, kid." Snatcher replies, and Hat Kid nods understandingly. 

"I know! I just want to know why trees are the way the are in general."

"Um," her father shakily starts his sentence, but he can't think of a lie good enough for Hat Kid to believe it, "Why do _you_ think a tree is made out of wood?"

"Ummmm," Hat Kid drags on as she proceeds to put one of her badges onto her hat, "Cause they know we need to make stuff out of them, so they sacrifice themselves to help us out."

It felt good to stretch her legs after being bed-ridden for so long, so this was necessary for her to get the exercise she missed out on. Double jumping in the air and sliding against a tree, she began to jump from tree to tree until she managed to grab onto a ledge and stand on it like a platform, almost like the trees in the Subcon Forest, but with less room to move and jump. Promptly putting on her sprint hat, she performs a jump from one tree to the next with a "Hup!" and lands with a hop. Already out of breath, Hat Kid laughs and waves towards her parents. Apparently she was tall enough to tower above Snatcher as well, and she found herself barely able to look down from the height alone.

"Did you see that? Did you see me? I made it up here all by myself!" She began to sway on the tiny platform and waved to her parents, but her father immediately came to her aid by gasping in terror and putting his arms out in case she were to fall.

"Seraphina! W- How did you get up there so quickly? How did we not notice you climb up there? Come down, slowly and carefully before you hurt yourself! Snatcher, use your ghost magic or something!" Xander demanded as he frantically walked around the tree as he followed his daughter's movements. "Can't you just grab her with your arm? S-Seraphina, don't fall alright, sweetheart?"

Before he could prepare himself, Hat Kid sprinted and dived onto another platform on yet another tree, laughing all the way over. "Ah! Seraphina, be more careful! Snatcher, please, make sure Hat Kid doesn't get hurt."

"But I'm fine, father! I've done this more times than I can count!" Getting on her stomach, Hat Kid holds onto the ledge as tightly as possible just in case the wisteria tree began to sway in the wind. She also held onto her top hat just in case it fell off her head and landed somewhere dirty. "Hey, dad! Should I dive off the side of this tree?"

"No! No, do not, under any circumstances, jump off that tree from such a dangerous height, do you understand me-" Xander exclaims, but Snatcher answers his daughter's question.

"Hey, kiddo!" Snatcher called out, "You should do a flip! I even have a camera for the occasion." Snapping his finger, he manifests a Polaroid camera out of thin air and holds it in both his hands. "Hey, Xander, you should get in front of the tree, too! And put your arms down, already. You look stupid."

Hat Kid lets go of the ledge and dives off the platform with ease as her father begins to freak out, and her hat momentarily slips off as Snatcher snaps a picture. Mid-air, she fixes feels the wind whip against her face and her hat. Holding her hat to her head with one hand and quickly taking out her umbrella with the other, she opens it and floats down gracefully with a smile. Her boots touch the ground and she closes the umbrella back up with a proud chuckle as her father's arms slowly sink to his sides of his torso. "Dad! Dad, can I see the picture?"

Snatcher hands it to her as it begins to develop, and Hat Kid hums to herself as she begins to walk back down the path. She notices her father's angry expression and his crossed arms, to which her humming trails off and she holds the photo close to her chest as Xander marches over to Snatcher's obnoxiously calm self, and Hat Kid fears the worst. Maybe she should of told her father about the Hover Badge before she jumped off the platform, but it was too late now.

"Aw, what is it now, sugar? Did seeing your precious princess jump out of a tree heart-stoppingly horrible for you? She's fine, there's not a scratch on her!" Snatcher's anger was getting the better of him, and Hat Kid found herself staring down at the developed photo. She was all smiles as she dived off the platform, but her father's expression was a mix of terror and disbelief. She felt bad and continued staring at them argue, but the photo began to get wrinkled from how tightly she was gripping it.

"That's it! I'm done, no more of this contract nonsense! Where are you hiding it? Give it here, I'm going to rip it up, Snatcher!" Xander's loud voice scared away a few birds as it echoed around the forest.

"Nope! Sorry, Xander! No take-backsies, we signed that contract together and you have to abide by until our daughter tells us what we wanted her to tell us." Snatcher winked to keep the secret from getting out, but Xander wasn't having any of Snatcher's nonsense and decided to speak out about his horrible ideas.

Xander was about to reply, but a loud " _rip"_ was heard behind them and he abruptly stopped. Turning around, Xander's green eyes softened and Snatcher's mouth curled into a frown once they saw Hat Kid's tears begin to fall. She dropped the photo to the forest floor and hiccuped as she took a step back.

"...What are you two talking about? What kind of contract did you make my father sign, Snatcher?" She was absolutely furious, and her cheeks became beet-red from her own bottled-up anger. "Did you steal his soul like you stole mine? You two have been acting weird all day and arguing with one another and I want to know why! I want to know _right now_!" She shrieked those last two words and her hands clenched into fists as Snatcher put an arm around Xander's waist.

In turn, Xander put his arm around Snatcher's waist as well and made absolutely certain to maintain eye contact with his daughter as she began to cry and sniff. 

"We don't... hate each other, if that's what you're wondering, kiddo." Snatcher says, and Xander nods with a slight smile. "And no, I didn't make Xander sign his soul away; far from it. It's actually pretty hilarious if you think about it-"

"Then tell me instead of stalling." She huffed, quite fed up with Snatcher's contracts.

Snatcher cleared his nonexistent throat and continued to explain himself. "We were trying to figure out how to be good parents. He wanted to be the Responsible/Overprotective Father and I wanted to be the Fun/Laid-back Dad, and quite obviously, those two adjectives would clash against one another since they both have very different meanings, and we went in over our heads." He made the contract appear and allowed Hat Kid to read it as long as she needed to, and she wiped away her tears.

Xander tried to laugh and held Snatcher closer. "We wanted to compete to see who was the better parent by either praising you or scolding you for your behavior. I guess you can see how that turned out... We wanted to see if you would say _I love you, father_ first or _I love you, dad_ first and one of us was going to be the winner... In hindsight that's a pretty depressing competition if you have to win for your daughter's love."

"Y-Yeah, sorry, sugar. And sorry to you, Seraphina. I confess that this entire contract is completely my fault." Snatcher says, and the contract with ripped in half.

"Aw, come on... I love both of you guys." She hugs them tight and closes her eyes as they put their arms over her as well, "You don't need a competition to prove that."

Snatcher picked her up into his arms and held her close to his chest, to which she accepts his apology.

Xander takes off her top hat and caresses her hair with a soft smile as he says, "...I think now would be a perfect time to get ready to show Hat Kid the surprise she's been wondering about, wouldn't you agree, dear?"

Snatcher leans down and kisses Xander on the mouth with a small smile. "Yeah, that sounds perfect."

* * *

The Moon Colony, which had grown in size and became a regular hot-spot for tourists and residents, was still the same. Hat Kid still had a difficult time being persuaded by her parents to visit the moon and visit the people who lived there after seeing it get blown up, but her father and her dad were going to let her go at her own pace and not force her to visit if she didn't want to. As long as she was afraid, he would never maker her to visit the Moon Colony unless she really wanted to. But for now, all she could do was stare at the giant glass dome that gave them the air to breathe, and grabbed the fabric of her shirt nervously. 

Hat Kid rarely ever got to see fireworks, aside from the firecrackers in Mafia Town, so seeing the whole sky light up around her made her ears ring as she asked, "How does a firework manage to explode into so many pretty colors?" Just as another yellow firework went off and scattered into into stars and glitter, making Hat Kid's mouth gape open in amazement.

Xander chuckled and picked her up by the waist, then placed her on his shoulders so that her hands could hold onto his head to keep her steady. Considering she was so short, Hat Kid would need to crane her head back pretty far to see the fireworks, so her father helped her out by making her tall enough to see the fireworks with little to no hassle at all. Snatcher stole her top hat and put it on his head so that she could see better as well without a giant top hat weighing her neck down. She didn't mind her dad stealing her hat, but she never liked having her hair ruffled up using his sharp claws.

Her father was about to reply, but Snatcher beat him to it. "When you light a bunch of powder and elements from the periodic table inside a canister on fire, it shoots off into the sky and goes _BOOM_!" Snatcher replies, making an explosion movement with his long purple arms. He was suppressing his laughter as soon as Xander huffed and shook his head. "Once it's up in the air, it creates a bunch of loud noise that lasts less than 5 seconds, but it sure is pretty."

"Oh, Snatcher, it's much more complicated than that. Hat Kid, don't listen to your dad, alright? I don't want you putting a bunch of stuff into a canister and lighting it on fire expecting it to blow up into a bunch of colors only for you to get badly injured." Her father replied with a bit of sass, just as her dad pat Xander on the back and laughed with his usual wheeziness. Unfortunately for Hat Kid, who just wanted to watch the fireworks, she heard her parents bicker playfully with one another as the fireworks burst apart in the sky.

"I'm pretty sure our kid has enough sense to know that, thank you very much, _dear_. Now, can we please watch the fireworks?" Snatcher snapped back, but with his Jack O'Lantern grin, anyone could tell he was just joking around with his family. Aside from being an antagonistic ghost in the Subcon Forest, he was a softie that wouldn't let anything happen to his family or anyone who lived on Sehan.

Snatcher loved Xander and Hat Kid more than anything in the world during this moment. He found himself just staring at his husband's and daughter's happy faces, and couldn't help but genuinely smile as another firework exploded and shone a brilliant blue against them. As long as Snatcher could protect them, nothing would ever happen to his new family. He was sure of it.

Sitting on her father's shoulders and pointing towards the starry night sky as she saw a rocket fly upwards, Hat Kid grinned. With Snatcher at her side, who had an arm around Xander, the small family held each other close as the multi-colored fireworks lit up the sky before them and exploded for everyone to see and admire. 


End file.
